I will have served under two countries in my short life as a captain. A year in Krimvald, and hopefully in Germany. My name is Farea Mandeblum; my footmen called me Cpt. Far. I had trained in Betelion's military academy for four years, the fruit of that labor landed me in Krimvald, starting first as a conscript captain for a good three months, eventually deciding I'll stay.
Krimvald's army was large and heavy. Too heavy to flexibly move around. I, as a captain of a small 'company,' manned a hundred footmen with varying experienced knights. They even also had this... Magical Brigade or something like that, it was stupid I gathered. The thing is, people more near north have more magical aptitudes than those further south. Their forces were strong, sure, but not as strong as say the most northernmost country; Lottydenty.
Then, I heard of Unchean's lord's untimely death. An army of (as I had first heard) monsters had sieged and had taken refuge in Unchean. As I was a captain, I had the opportunity to join the war table. I never knew the Generals of the Army, neither even the name of Krimvald's king. I never needed to really.
But it was decided that Unchean would be kept under surveillance while we do nothing about it. Easel city was to be fortified even more so, having built a large wall for the Marquis. It was pretty hard to construct the wall as I had heard. Since the path towards the city was blocked by land, everything was done by sea.
They thought that they'd be able to gain some intelligence by the end of the month about what was happening inside Unchean, but nothing. We saw no adventurers leaving those gates, no merchants leaving to deliever anything. The only gate open really, faced the sea. The ships going to and fro Unchean had probably not even known that Unchean was being controlled by another entity, but that's just speculation at my end.
Then Auferstehen came.
In Betelion, Auferstehen's prepared all year round, but the Krimvalds had a rather unnorthodox approach to the madness. Instead of building actual fortresses good enough to kill those monsters afar and safe, they instead relied on their magical battalion and their large quantity of troops. I for one, was assigned to protect a medium-sized town west of the Capital.
It was my first actual time doing duty, and it was nerve-wracking. I first enacted my plan to fortify the under fortified town by building ditches with spikes, spikes, and spike walls. See, building walls take awhile compared to just building spikes, which'll hinder the monsters enough so that my spearmen can strike from below.
Auferstehen's monsters were a bit too powerful to overwhelm fully, so I knew that this approach would not last in the long term. So then I relied on the small river just adjacent the town. Digging takes awhile, it took a whole week to get it done. But after, we had a canal of water encircling the half of the city facing the woodlands. A day after, the monsters came.
I had trust in my troops to be able to kill those monsters. But, judging from their faces, they didn't trust me and my methods. I do say, it's more safer, but it was less courageous. See, Krimvald, as I have mentioned, has this stupid and dangerous unorthodox approach. And this was because Krimvaldians have this hidden 'pride' they have within them. They want to show their might, maybe even to brag to someone else. I just didn't get it.
I lost twenty men because of that.
The part of the town facing the woodlands took a bit of damage, manageable enough to repair. I had my troops repair the spikes that had been broken and produce new ones. They seem to trust me better now since they saw the effectivity, but not really the safety. My method casted a net of protection that allowed my troops to pick off the monsters one by one. But, like idiots, they were wading around in canals waiting for a chance to pounce on a monster before then being pounced upon by the monster that man was waiting for.
Auferstehen was awful short that time, after the first week, none showed. We figured we'd stay to ease the minds of the locals. Speaking of, they were nice! If I have the chance to, I would love to go to that town again to meet the locals, talk to them once more. But, since Germany now controls those towns, I doubt I'd ever be able to. Unless... I could.
We left shortly after the end of the winter month, and, in the month of the Hunter, it was all about Germany now. Well, they didn't know (neither I) what the name of our combatants were, but whoever they were, their weaponry peaked unlike the bows, spears, and cannons we had.
That's when Germany invaded Easel city.
It was unprecedented, since, at that time, the princess of Krimvald was there with a meeting with the Marquis. It was the wrong time at the wrong event. Immediately after the king's galleon came back to proliferate the news of the princess being in German hands, we, every single battalion, every single unit the king had in his cape, he unleashed.
Days after;
I had the opportunity to see their leader.
Hierd Die Grace, the chancellor of Germany.
The way he wore his suit, that imperial stance of power. He wielded no sword, yet he carried a hundred spears behind his shoulders. His blond hair contrasted with the grey background of 'his' city. The Magic Battalion was one of the first to reach Unchean, but we met them again, this time, reduced to a platoon.
I lost hope in that moment.
"Captain! The king is telling us to charge!"
"What!?" I couldn't believe the absurdity of the request.
Then, I saw the eyes of my proud men. I knew that rejecting it meant nothing, they'll charge anyways. And so they did.
I sat there, with my horse, absorbing the absurdity of a one-sided battle. Germany was winning; I didn't see what the king was thinking. The king was stupid. After the king told us to retreat, we did. And by we, I mean the two other men I had under my command. I don't know what happened to the rest of them, maybe they switched commanders already. Some of my men didn't like me, I accepted that, but seeing only two left from a battle as one-sided as that... It depressed me.
As soon as I touched the capital, my feet leapt to the white castle. I wrote this brief letter;
"To the Hesian Recruitment Agency,
I, currently a captain of Krimvald's corps, Farea Mandeblum; wish to join your army, I would be honored if you accepted my plea. To further entice you, I have served four years within the Betelionic Miltary Academy, second of my section. My excellence is not something I can talk about, it's something that could only be shown."
I had immidiately sent this letter into the other pile of supplies headed for Hesia. I gave the courtman specific details regarding how this letter was to brought. In exchange, should he come back, I'd give him one gold.
He accepted my offer pretty quickly.
Days after, Germany was yonder our field. It was the first time I saw something so malicious and deadly that I thought I were meeting a God of some sort. Those 'things,' those iron carriages that had cannons that could fire and destroy our city walls; they were stuff of yore brought of books to destroy us.
My position in the military was already defunct. In the castle; I had raised my questions at the men there, whether my company was to be brought back, or that there was a new position waiting for me; but no. There was not. Mostly all of the military was bested within that first failed invasion of ours towards Unchean. And because of my Betelionic way of doing things, I knew I would not appeal to the other soldiers who were crowding about at the gates.
I remember being hit on the back and blacking out. When I had awoken, I found myself crawling in a pile of rubble; trying to gather my surroundings and reinforce my injured body. I couldn't move at all, but I knew that I needed to. Everything around me was destroyed, there was nothing left but the rubbled cobble buildings of the once majestic capital. I peeked to view the shore, their iron ships were combating Dragoons.
I knew that Krimvald had no dragoons, I didn't know where those came from, I thought that maybe these were rogue up until I saw that there were riders on those red dragoons. I was bleeding out, it wasn't too large of a wound, but it was enough that if I didn't make a tourniquet I knew I'd die.
Yellow strikes were impaling the sky, I can retell my marvel;
The sky was quickly darkening, and I saw those bullets hail the sky like they were stars themselves trying to catch those stationary big yet small stars outer space. And never forget that sound, that ferocious sound that clanged was so methodically devastating that they were lyrical.
I crafted bits and parts from the tunic I was wearing to fashion this rag-tag tourniquet. I braced myself to the tightness I would be enduring, but I screamed to God. I screamed to qwell myself of the fear I was enduring, of the pain my body was experiencing.
I stopped myself for a second to gather my breath, the device I had crafted unfurling itself slack, relieving me for a second but I knew I had to tighten it, and fast.
My cries had reached a group of soldiers, seeing my rank, they immediately picked me up from the ground. I remember saying softly to them; "Thank you. Thank you..." Before ultimately succumbing to my injuries and first-aid.
I had awoken. But I was not in Krimvald anymore.
"You're in Unchean." Another captain had told me. I smiled in relief to see a comrade, but the words he told me; had me worried.
"Unchean?" I tried to get up, but my body ached and hurt so badly that I just couldn't, mustering a groan. "We're in...?"
"Yes. Germany, they call themselves."
I couldn't believe it, we were taken in as prisoners of war. I don't know what's happened to the king, he's probably dead, same with everyone else. At that time, at that moment, I was truly scared of death.
My heart had sunk into my chest, realizing now that those following moments were maybe going to be my last.
Before I could lie in my bed to absorb the inflow of information thrusted into me, a woman in this formal clothing approached me. She had flowing red hair, and this frigid-pale white face. "I am Lieutenant Polois, I am aware you were once a student in the Betelionic Military Academy?"
I looked at my comrade, seeing his face reaffirmed the words I should say next. "Y-yes... Why, ma'am?"
"Currently, many of Krimvald's forces have transferred into our rule. Many of the conscripted footmen from Krimvald has caused us trouble, since they're so numerous, and that their experiences are so varying."
"And where do I come in this ma'am?"
"With your friend here, you will be joining the German army, we hope with your positions prior and the knowledge you both had prior, that you could become great assets for the greatness of Germany."
She gave us a stern look, before giving us this letter. She waited for me to grab it. I don't think I even looked at it, but after, she said; "Serve the Chancellor; serve for Germany's Military."
Terrifying disipline.