Into The Fires Of Conflict

Into Bloody Combat

Warning for Mild Gore

POV Unknown

I stand amidst a large group of my fellow warriors on board one of our troop transports, preparing for battle against what was, as our intel said, a military base run and populated by men, something unheard of in our lands and this world.

My mind drifts into another thought,'Will I be able to take one for myself?'. My mothers had been asking me to find a suitable male for my family to use and during my years of service to our Empress, I haven't been able to find one.

As I ponder, another soldier taps my back. I turn to her and saw my best friend, Corporal Heletea Reptiz, smiling at me. "Sergeant Polika, are you good ma'am?"

"I'm fine Reptiz, just wondering if I could nag one for myself.", I replied, making her laugh. "Don't we all.", she said, turning back to her locker and grabbing her rifle and walking out the door, my squad following her.

I look back at my locker and picked up a photo I have hidden deep behind my personal effects. It was me and my fiancé, our last photo together before I was drafted into the army. I kiss the photo before returning it back into its hiding spot. I sigh in sadness before picking up my rifle and following the line of women up to the deck, many excited about the prospect of finding men for themselves.

I chuckle at their excitement before heading to my company, situated on the ship's forward deck. We stood in attention as our Colonel gave her speech.

"Girls, this is the day that we finally get a reward many of us has been searching for a long time. This is the day that we finally get something that we deserve. We will take what's ours, for ourselves and for our Empress. Long May She Reign.", she said, making many of the rookies excited and pumped for the coming battle.

I chuckle with them, this being their very first battle, so they would be excited. I moved with my company to the boats, going close to them in order to be ready to board them when we reach within a reasonable distance.

Then I heard the sound of large cailber artillery, making everyone instinctively duck in cover. We then hear the dreaded sound of whistling, then we saw huge columns of water erupt on the ship's starboard bow

Many of us fell to the floor because of the impacted, some going overboard.
As we finally get back on our feet, more hit, striking the cruiser flanking our ship.

Fires erupt on its deck as sailor rush in to quell the flames and rescue any injured. As we watched in horror at the cruiser, we heard our own cannons return fire on the cliff, most either missing by a mile or hitting the cliff itself instead of the battery positions.

I turn around to see how far we are from the bay's inner waters only to see we aren't far from our landing point. As we ready ourselves, we witness another shell strike the cruiser, more flames erupting from the impact point.

10 agonizing minutes later, we arrived at our landing area, still being shelled by the guns situated on the cliffs.

We quickly boarded the boats, not wanting to be shelled by large caliber artillery. As I quickly climb down the ropes, one of my girls fell to the drink, her heavy equipment dragging her to the deep below. Many of us were shook by her sudden death, but we kept moving, not wanting to slow the others down.

As we settled down, the mage at the stern of the boat began propelling us through the water with her magic. We sailed across the water, zooming past the ships that were beginning to anchor.

I looked at the terrain we were landing at, a beach with grass lining the areas closest to the treeline. As we approach it, the entire treeline erupted into a cacophony of gunfire as several hundred pieces of lead were thrown at us.