Unending - a Sword Art Online Fanfic (being rewritten)

Chapter 29: First Strike

I've realized that at the beginning of this novel, I was using pictures to help describe things in the story, but then I stopped for some reason. So, Question, do you guys want to see me try and use pictures again, or not? Leave your answer here, and thanks for continuing to read this book.

???'s POV:

A messenger ran through the camp towards the large command camp in the center. He had vital info for the man in charge. He dashed into the tent coming instantly to a hault.

"Sir, scouts have reported small units heading into the forests on the first floor." The person speaking put his fist over his chest in salute. The person he was talking to, was his commanding officer, the general commanding this operation.

"Very good. What is the news on our strike teams?" The general asked. Another person answered, "they are ready and waiting for your command, general." She said. "And I will lead them personally once you give the order."

"Excellent." The general said. He walked over to the tent entrance and went through it, stepping into the lush outdoors of floor 21. "Such a innocent day to hold such inevitable death." He said out loud. "Are you sure of this plan sire?" He asked, turning to address his king.

"Yes. This land is furtile, and will support our people for eons to come. Yes, it will do very nicely for our newest conquest." The king turned and jestured to his son, also present.

"Come my dear boy. It is time you learned the ways of war."

"Great, now what does he want me to do to prove myself worthy of being his son." The prince thought to himself.

"My son..." The prince's father said. "Your mission today is to go with and command on of the strike teams that I've prepared. You will pillage and plunder and burn the first floor of this great land alongside your men, and then you will hold it 'till I arrive with the main force to establish dominance over the area. Do you understand?"

"Who does he think he's kidding?" The prince thought. "He just wants to see if mother's kind-heartedness has made me soft." But of course the prince couldn't say that to his father, so he went with the easy option.

"Yes of course father. I understand completely. Is there anything else?"

The king pondered this a moment. "Oh, I know, make sure you take the women captive. As many as you can. Maybe there will be one worthy of becoming your future queen."

"Alright father. As you wish." The prince said He turned and walked out of the tent, heading for his own personal one so that he could change into his armor and retrieve his sword. He didn't like this part of being royalty, but whatever. He would simply catch as many women as possible, along with securing the area, and hope that he had done enough, simple as that. "Now, where was his personal armorer so that could actually get his armor on?"

<Timeskip>

As the prince and his men swept through the woods towards what looked like the major city of the area, a town called New Beginnings from what the scouts had said, he had an internal debate as to what would happen when he and his men made contact with the local populace. He knew they were fierce fighters, you had to be. He and his men had already discovered the hard way that while this land was rich and furtile, it was also very dangerous. The three dead men who had been under his command could atest to that.

"Sire." The prince's second in command pointed in the direction they were heading. "Voices... up ahead."

The prince stopped and listened in the direction pointed out to him. There where definitely voices that weren't those of soldiers loyal to him. He motioned for his men to follow him as he slowly crept up to the edge of a clearing ahead. It was in this clearing that he say those to whom the voices belonged.