"COMPANY AT ATTENTION!" The Captain hollered we all lined up in neat two rows. We were close to the island, so close that I could see the lights from the settlement.

  "The Marines have taken the responsibility of securing the beachhead and screening the area once the signal is given. We will embark and prepare our advance into the settlement. We have only two hours until the sun begins to fall. As of now, your only orders are to prepare physically and mentally." The Captain announced and stepped down from the crates he used as a platform. We all glanced at each other before dispersing. We were given sixty cartridges to store our rations and had to pass a harsh inspection.

  As I approached the edge of the boat, I watched as the net was thrown down to the cutters. Then the shrill sound of the bosun's pipe pierced our ears. The Marines prepared their deployment crawling down the net proficiently.

  "Company! Cover the marines' advance, fire if anything, and I mean anything rears its face over that hill, you will kill it!" The Lieutenant ordered. We all took formations pushing out muskets under the rail of the boat. We watched the marines rowing with desperation until they hit the rocks of the Coast and began a hard march up the hill. Then, screening the area for a long, grueling ten minutes, the marine flag bearer raised the flag. The beach was secure. The settlement was there.

  The naval infantry was already rowing back, and the others were docking the last two unmanned cutters. We shouldered our muskets and waited for the order we all dreaded.

  "COMPANY!" The Captain said and took a deep breath before raising his Saber in a swoosh.

  "STAND BY TO EMBARK!" He ordered. Then the loud sound of the sloop of war passing by us the sound of its guns being loaded already echoing as it parked near the island.

  We descended down the net, the rope burning into our hands as the wind threw us around like rags in the wind. I dropped down onto the boat, landing on my back with a deep groan, and looked up as more men got into the boat, including my Sergeant

  We were packed side to side, barely able to lift a hand.

  Then, the naval officer gave the command.

  "BOATS AWAY!"

  The sailors began rowing my breath was stuck in my throat as we slowly approached the island. Each swoosh in the water echoed in my mind before we stopped by the rocks.

  "Over the side!" Our Sergeant yelled as we all jumped over the side of the cutter. The water was still waist-high as we made the march upwards.

  "Kyro. Careful with the roc -" Boris said before I slipped off a loose rock landing on my bottom, letting out a loud oof.

  "I think I understand well enough now," I responded and extended my hand to Boris, who pulled me up. The sound of rocks and water slowly changed to the sound of snow crunching underneath our boots. I stared up into the sky, watching the ravens fly over us, already expecting their fresh meat.

  I looked to my sides and saw more men jump off their boats and up the hill.

  "Form up the hill brothers.." The Sergeant huffed before we emerged above the hill, and soon the whole company was there. The Captain took out a periscope and looked at the settlement before looking at the sloop of war.

  "Flag bearer!" He yelled and turned over to us before a boy younger than me ran toward him already panting from the long row and March.

  "Sir?" He whispered, trying to catch his breath, the long flag staff dragging behind him.

  "Raise the flag for bombardment." The Captain said and glanced over to the settlement, letting out a deep huff.

  "Ay, sir!" The flag bearer said and raised a black flag with a white cannonball.

  Then the first crack echoed, and soon a whole volley, the settlement erupted in explosions and ash. I recoiled back and froze at the sight. One bombardment after another I watched as the settlement erupted in chaos.

  I watched figures inside the settlement run around as screams and cries echoed. The Captain turned to the Lieutenant and gave a brief order before the Lieutenant took a large portion of men with him and began to flank the elven settlement from the left.

  "Their small. They scream and cry, and it seems they speak." The Sergeant said, his eyes squinting in confusion.

  "They aren't headless men. Look at that they've made houses..gates. Torches their almost as smart as us." Boris said and flinched as another volley came crashing down.

  "They don't look so inhuman. What if we're simply attacking a Maurian settlement?" I said and watched the next volley fly into the air, the cannonballs spinning in the air before crashing down with a long wail and erupting into a painting of fire, snow, and ash.

  "They would've told us that, there's no need to hide a human invasion, and.. who would send a small army that wasn't even prepared for an attack?" Burian said and grabbed my shoulder as he tried to look.

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  "There goes one!" Someone yelled as a corpse flew into the air blood trailing under it before it crashed down with a splat.

  "So what do you think it is? Man, beasts?" Boris asked.

  "Man-beasts are too stupid to have made such a settlement," Burian responded and stepped back.

  The captain was rigid his posture unmoving as he watched the bombardment. His coat fluttered in the breeze before he turned to us.

  "There will be only two more volleys after this one. Under the cover of smoke and debris, we will advance. Once close to the settlement, you will disperse into independent groups. Do not, and I mean do not stay alone. The ability of the enemy is unknown. Remember your drilling and believe in humanity, and you will emerge alive." The captain turned back around.

  The crack of another volley erupted and crashed down onto the settlement, throwing wood and stone into the air.

  "Me and you, Kyro," Boris said and nodded to me.

  Baurian wrapped his arm around us both and smiled. "Me as well.. You heard the captain. I can't go alone."

  I nodded and took a deep breath. The final volley erupted from the sloop of war. I let out a deep, shuddering breath, my eyes already watering from anxiety before the captain looked at the bugler.

  The order to advance was played.

  We took hesitant steps forward before speeding up, almost running down the hill, other men sliding, and some tripped and rolled down. I grabbed my musket pulling the hammer to half cock as I felt Boris and Baurian grab my arm and tug me toward them.

  "Don't let go of me! We have to make it through this smoke!" He said and coughed as we jogged through it.

  "FIX BAYONETS" an order echoed throughout our ranks. I fumbled with my holster before pulling out my bayonet and tugging it down the barrel of my rifle.

  We emerged from the smoke and looked at the burning and destroyed settlement. An arrow whizzed past us. We ran for cover behind a crumbling wall as bullets cracked all around us.

  "An arrow!? What are we fighting tribal bands!?" Boris yelled, peeking over the wall as he raised his musket and fired.

  I took his position and pulled the hammer to full cock. I looked back at Boris and said.

  "What was it!? What did you see?!" I yelled and peeked over, only seeing flames and destroyed homes. Before an arrow struck the wood of the wall, I took immediate cover and nodded to Baurian.

  "Loose column!" I yelled and fired my musket toward where the arrow came from before running forward flipping a cart over and ducking behind it as I took out a cartridge and ripped it open with my teeth I spat out the paper and gunpowder on my tongue before ramming it down the barrel. Pressing the cap on the musket and raising it.

  I fired again in the direction as Baurian came stumbling toward me before crashing down next to me.

  "I need to reload! You cover Boris!" I yelled and started reloading my hands, trembling at every moment. I flinched at the gunshot and watched as Boris came running toward us and slid next to me.

  "I SAW IT! I SAW IT DAMMIT!" Boris yelled and held his head, his eyes wide in shock, before he began shaking his head violently.

  "What did you see!? Boris, tell me!" I yelled and shook him he looked at me and shook his head again before saying.

  "It's a curse!" He said.

  "Whatever it is, it's running. You have a clear shot, Kyro!" Baurian said.

  I emerged placing my musket on the cart as I took a deep breath and aimed at the running figure with the pull of a finger and the click of a hammer the musket erupted the recoil hitting my shoulder the figure let out a loud yelp and fell to the floor.

  "It's dead!" I proclaimed and looked around me as more unhumans ran past me most unarmed as they tried to hide and run away.

  And then a figure clad in armor charged toward us a sword in one hand a shield in the other.

  "Kyro, do my eyes deceive me?" Baurian muttered. I pulled him behind me and thrusted my bayonet into the figure's armor, which deflected the sharp point of my musket vibrated in my hands, enhancing the pain in my hands.

  It bashed its shield into my back. I fell to the ground before Baurian pulled his musket over the unhuman's neck and began to choke him and try to throw him down.

  Boris dragged me next to him as he stood up cocking his musket.

  "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY BAURIAN!" Boris yelled desperately before he kicked the inhuman down. Baurian crawled up and ran away before Boris shot his musket into the inhuman's head, its blood and brains staining the snow below. I stumbled to my feet, my legs trembling as I grabbed my musket.

  "BURN THE VILLAGE! LET NONE LIVE!" The Captain's voice echoed clear as day I glanced at Boris, who was already reloading his musket. Me and baurian did the same as we approached the only still-standing house.

  "This doesn't feel right," I whispered before kicking the door. Once. Twice. On the third kick, it burst open. I raised my musket to the first person who raised his hands in surrender. I fired and watched him drop to the floor. A female yelled out and crawled over his corpse weeping, and as she tried to pull him up. Baurian shoved in and froze as he saw the scene.

  "It has feelings.. it cries," Baurian said and lowered his musket before Boris pushed him aside.

  "THEIR ELVES! FILTHY ELVES THEY WANT TO INVADE US!" He raised his musket and shot the female before stabbing both corpses with his bayonet.

  "Boris?" Baurian said and approached Boris, but Boris looked up at him and said.

  "You think they would be hesitant to kill us? They came here for a reason!" Boris exclaimed jumping up before ripping off the jewelry the elves had. He looked back at me, then down at the corpses.

  "It's pure gold! Real gold from the old world, we can make a feast with this stuff!" Boris said. My eyes darted toward Baurian before stepping toward the male's corpses taking his necklace, bracelets, and a pouch he had.

  Baurian knelt down next to the corpse, taking his bayonet as he cut their finger off. The sound of the bone cracking filled the silence before he pulled the rings off their finger.

  "Let's go before the Captain finds us," Boris said and began stuffing all the jewelry into his pouch. We stepped outside just to see the whole settlement torn down and burning blood staining the snow and walls elven corpses scattered and men looting the bodies.

  I heard the sound of rapid footsteps and snapped my head to my right seeing an elven woman running she threw her heels away, stumbling in the snow as she begged in an unknown language.

  "GET HER!" My Sergeant ordered. I ran toward the elf and tackled her down Boris ran behind me, already raising his bayonet.

  "HALT! SHE IS TO BE BROUGHT ALIVE!" The Sergeant yelled as he stopped next to us, crouching down to catch his breath. Me and boris looked at each other confused before I grabbed some rope and tied her hands up. I forced her to her feet and looked at the Sergeant.

  "And now what, sir?" I asked and observed the elven woman. Her eyes were like amethyst her skin paler than ours she lowered her head and began whispering frantically.

  "Take..that thing to the transport ship." The Sargeant whispered and stumbled toward an elven corpse dropping to his knees as he began to loot it.

  I shrugged my shoulder to Boris as we led the women up the steep hill and then down toward the rocky beach.

  She shook her head and stared at me whispering something frantically before nudging her pouch adorned with gold toward me. I watched the Cutter approaching us in the distance before I took the pouch and snapped it open.

  "Look at this!" I said, pulling out a golden symbol, no doubt, to represent some house.

  "I say we throw it in the water show the unhuman how little it means," Boris said and snatched it out of my hand and lobbed it to the ocean.

  The elf let out a sharp gasp before shaking her head as the cutter arrived, we dragged and threw her onto the boat.

  "I don't believe my eyes." The Naval officer said and pulled down his cap as he stared at the elf in awe.

  "Is that really an elf!? Are we being invaded by elves!?" A sailor exclaimed in panic as he began rowing his mouth agape as he watched the elf then stared into the water.

  "That's what they say.. I never knew what an elf looked like." I said and grabbed a paddle, helping row the boat.

  Once we made it to the side of the ship, we looked up at the net before I whispered.

  "How are we supposed to carry the inhuman all the way up there..?"

  The naval officer whistled as some men peered over the rails, he yelled.

  "A ROPE!"

  In a few minutes, a rope was thrown down to us. We tied it around the elf's waist and watched him be hauled up. Once she was up there, a sailor exclaimed.

  "WHAT IS THAT!?"

  We pulled ourselves on the net and began to crawl up, the soreness, already digging into our arms and legs. I listened as Baurian and Boris groaned and grunted.

  We collapsed on the hull of the ship. I looked up at the darkening sky and rolled over to face Boris.

  "What does this mean now?" I whispered.

  "I assume.. we are at war now?" Boris said before we stood up and watched as the sailors dragged the elf below the hull.

  We watched from afar as the settlement was set ablaze, and smoke rose from it gunfire cracking in celebration.