The Other Side: A Second Chance

There was a blinding light, and then nothing but pain and screeching. Like a sharp mind-splitting ring that tore through my brain and sent me crumpling to the ground. I felt hot wetness dripping down the sides of my head. I knew I was alive. We were alive. I rolled across the ground, probably screaming; I couldn't tell. I couldn't hear. Only the sharp ring in my head. I felt my body bump against those around me. They, too, were on the ground.

I'm blind. I'm deaf. Fuck! Fuck! I panicked. Oh god, I might as well be fucking dead; I'm going to die! I'm going to die!

"Control yourself." The voice in my head said.

It hurts; my head hurts!

"Use the magic you were taught. Restoration. Restore your hearing and sight before something else kills you!" The voice ordered.

He was right. I had a way to fix this! I was trained for this moment. Yet the pain—oh, God, the pain. I did my best to focus; I didn't know if I was saying the incantation or not. Yet I could feel the magic bubbling within me. I clapped my cheeks right when I thought I was finished. Suddenly sound returned, and my vision, once white and blurry, began to clear.

The sounds of machine gun fire and shouting were always present around me. Men and women beside me screamed, and as I regained my composure, I turned to see Isa beside me, writhing on the ground, clutching her fuzzy ears.

I did; I stopped the missile. I gulped and shook my head. There is no time to think about that. We need to help others.

I dropped down to my knees. "In the whispering weave of magic's touch, threads entwine, ailments clutch. Sight restored, and limbs made whole, Slyondra’s grace, the healer's role. Restore!" I placed my hands on Isa's head and channeled my magic into her.

The serelli squealed and squirmed under my grasp, yet she soon calmed as her dilated eyes focused and her fuzzy ears twitched. "Lu-Luna?" She croaked out just as another missile slammed into the earth a few yards away from us and exploded.

Isa yanked me down and held me just as debris showered into our crater. "Th-thank you!" I said that to her and pushed her away. "I need to tend to the others," I said, crawling over to Gord next and beginning to mutter the incantation. One by one, he moved between him and Drach.

The two of them were dazed for a moment, but Drach smiled widely as he regained his senses and said, "Fuck yeah! Maybe you are the real deal!" He clapped my shoulder and rolled onto his stomach.

Gord flopped onto his back, keeping his head as low as he could as he clutched his large rifle close and checked it. Once he was satisfied, he looked up at me, took a deep breath, and said, "Thank you. Can you do it again?"

My eyes widened. "I, uh, I think I can," I said hesitantly. "Should I do it now?"

Gord shook his head. "No. Wait till the guns stop briefly, and I'll give the word. We'll charge over, and then I want you to bubble us so that we can get close and I can blast one of them."

"But what about the other?" I asked nervously.

Gord licked his lips. "We'll figure something out."

Right then. The guns fell silent, and Gord flipped over and began to scramble. "Go!"

My heart lurched in my chest, but without thinking, my legs pushed me to my feet, and I scrambled out of the crater behind him. Concentrating as best I could, trying to push the intrusive thoughts from my mind, I called upon my well to create yet another shield around us all.

"Stay close to me!" I squealed as, through the smoke and dust, I saw the tree line and the bright, blue light of a fighting machine looking at us. I shouted a curse right as the guns on its head began to fire, yet just as the first few bullets slammed against my projected shield, I saw Gord drop to one knee, lift his rifle, and unleash a defeating, concussive blast!

The rifle alone nearly deafened me once more as the massive gun slammed back against him and the recoil nearly pushed the orc back. Immediately, the machine's guns were replaced by a bloodcurdling wail. A cry, reminiscent of a woman's, echoed across the battlefield as the machine's head flew back as glass and sparks shot out from the punctured hole in its head.

Quickly, Gord chambered another heavy round into his gun and hoisted his rifle once more, but stopped when Drache shouted, "Eleven o'clock! The second one is looking this way!" He pointed to our left, and I turned just in time to see the other one barreling through the trees towards us. Its glass eyes began to form a solid shield over its surface; like a lantern, the circular cover began to close around it, focusing its light, and that's when I realized.

It's the heat ray!

"Get back in the crater!" I shouted. "It's going to burn us!" I began to panic, yet suddenly, three eruptive blasts echoed from where we were, and streaking over our heads, three artillery shells slammed into the monstrous foe.

The fighting machine let off a horrid cry, a masculine howl of pain as two shells struck it in the side of the head, the third taking out its front left leg. The machine hobbled back, tripped over a fallen log, and slammed into the earth.

"Fuuuuck you!" Drach howled with laughter as he jammed a finger at the twitching machine on the ground.

"Gord!" Isa shouted. "The first one!"

"On it!" Gord hoisted his rifle once again towards the first fighting machine, sparks still spitting out of its shattered face. The machine stumbled around, as if confused, and turned in our direction, and once again, Gord's rifle boomed once more, and the glass ruptured into sparks and blue fire. This time, it didn't even scream but slumped over silently with a heavy thud.

"Haha! Fuck yeah!" Drach cheered, and soon soldiers around us who had been taking cover in the many craters joined in along with the honking of horns from the lorry guns.

"Is everyone accounted for?" I heard Captain Wleller's distant voice.

And people began to call out in response. "Minor injuries, but no casualties." One lieutenant responded.

"No casualties either," a second reported.

"Two fatalities." My heart twinged upon hearing that, and I looked back to see a bloodied man and a few other soldiers dragging two heavily damaged corpses out of a crater.

"Where's my squad?" I heard the familiar voice of Zora, and I gulped and turned around to see Zora, Nessel, Frisch, and Lexis. Yet the pink-haired half-elf, Mara, was nowhere to be seen.

"Right, here, lieutenant." Gord responded with a salute. "You look like you just ran through hell." He commented on her dirtied appearance, along with Lexis, who looked like she had just been dragged through the mud.

"We all just did, at least part of it," Zora stated, looking over us. "Where's Mara? She was beside me when we rushed the field."

I gulped as we all glanced around at each other, and Drach bit his lower lip. "You don't think she..."

"I'm okay!" A voice shouted from behind, and we turned to see a disheveled, filthy half-elf dragging the body of a wounded soldier out of a crater. "Lu-Luna, he's still breathing!" Mara called, and I nodded and rushed towards them.

The elven man was splintered with shrapnel, his body practically Swiss cheese; it was a miracle he was still alive, though he wouldn't be for long with how much he was bleeding. I held my breath as I dropped down into the mud beside Mara and placed my hands on him. Not wasting much time, I muttered the incantation and focused as much magic as was needed on him.

Within moments, as my energy coursed into him, the pieces of shrapnel were pushed from his body, and the wounds began to heal. Mara watched with wide eyes as the man's brow furrowed, and he grimaced and slowly opened his eyes.

"Wh-what?"

"Don't move, Almer," Mara whispered. "Luna is taking care of you." She wiped the dirt from his face, and the man winced once more.

I sighed softly as my spell came to an end, and I said, "He's all set." I looked at him. "You'll be sore, but you're all patched up."

The man turned to look at me. His face was perplexed, though he took a deep breath, nodded, and muttered, "Thank you."

"Listen up!" I jolted upon hearing Captain Weller shout. "We don't have much time! We need to keep pushing; gather your gear and let's get a move on it!"

I took a deep breath and looked at Mara. "How are you feeling?" I asked, looking over her dirtied appearance. "Are you hurt?"

Mara shook her head. "Just some minor scratches and bruises. Conserve your ether; let's go." She brushed her black and pink hair to the side and fixed her helmet.

Getting to our feet, we reconvened with Isa and the others. Taking a deep breath and doing a quick survey of our surroundings, Lieutenant Zora turned to us all. "Alright, we're pushing deeper. Word from the other companies states the enemy is falling back. Like before, stay apart and push forward; let's not give them any easy targets!"

"Hoo-rah!" The others shouted, and Zora motioned for us all to push forward.

 

---

As we pushed through the thicket, I saw the wrecked fighting machines up close. Massive hulks they were, composed of a strange metal I'd never seen before. Adamantine maybe? I thought it was silver in color, yet at certain angles, the light bouncing off of it gave it an almost purple hue. All around it were pipes, cogs, and pistons, hundreds of small mechanical pieces that had all worked together in unison. It was astounding how such a thing could be made in this world, at least from what I know and have seen.

Technologically, Rusivites must be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else. I thought to myself as we moved past the wreckage. In the distance, more bouts of fighting could be heard, yet among the chaos, a new sound caught my ear, one that made me jolt with fear. A bestial roar, none that I had heard before sent my gaze upwards along with the rest of the squad as I saw three massive, winged beasts fly over my head. Their bodies were silenced by the morning sun.

"Dragon riders!" Lexis shouted. "We've got air support!"

My eyes widened as one of the gargantuan dragons reared upwards, its now visible red scales shining brightly in the sun's light as he roared once more. Its heavy wings buffeting the air, the gust of each flap causing the trees above us to shake and rustle.

The other two dragons hovered nearby as they seemed to be surveying the area. Yet it was only a few seconds before The furthest one to my left, which I think was silver or white, I couldn't quite tell as the sun was shining too brightly off its scales, let off another roar and began to fly to the northwest, the other two falling behind it.

Drach whistled when they flew off and said, "Kraten, bless this battle! Beasts like that, we're sure to win!"

"When the God of War sees a spectacle, he always sends his best," Gord said with a nod.

Zora held up a fist. "Steady yourselves," she said. "The battle hasn't fully begun yet; overconfidence will lead to missteps."

Drach sighed but nodded. "Yes, boss."

I continued to watch the dragons fly off in the distance, my body abuzz with nerves. Actual dragons. Those were actual dragons. I thought. I had only seen them in books or stories. Yet that was the real deal. I shuddered and smiled. Despite living in this world for seven years, it was moments like this that hammered home where I truly was.

Isa grabbed me by the shoulder and shook me back to the present. "No time to gawk, Luna," she said softly. "We're nearing Dresden." I gulped and nodded.

We proceeded forward, deeper into the thicket in front of me Isa carefully moved forward, a rifle gripped in her hands I watched as her eyes scanned in every direction. Around us, the soldiers did the same; all of us were equally spaced out by a few feet. Despite there being nearly a hundred of us, it was nearly silent, save for the distant sounds of combat.

I could hear the dragons from earlier, the guttural roars followed by the howls of fighting machines. Fantastical creatures fighting clockwork robots, in my past life, I would've expected this to be a Warhammer game. Yet here I was. In the middle of it. A terrifying situation.

I gulped as I continued to follow behind the others. Doing my best to keep a nervous look about, a few glances from the soldiers told me I wasn't doing a good job hiding my anxiety. Though I attempted to pay no attention to them, the emphasis on "attempted."

Thankfully, we hadn't encountered any more machines when we neared the treeline. By this point, the air was thick with smoke. Large chunks of the once pristine blue sky were filled with black and white clouds, and bits of ash were sprinkling down around us. By this point, we could see it. Ahead of us was a large field, possibly a few hundred yards, before stopping at a mostly standing but heavily damaged and abandoned village. Beyond that, the village of Dresden was a star-shaped fortress that stood imposingly with its massive tower sprouting from its center. Like a cooling tower, thick jets of steam burst forth from it and wafted high into the air.

Accenting the sounds of war, an alien alarm echoed far ahead of us from the fortress. A sound similar to that of Claxon yet heavily distorted. Like a garbled radio, this sound came through clearly at first before distorting towards the end, only to repeat itself. Suddenly, a booming voice in a language I could not understand crescendoed.

Lieutenant Zora held her fist up to stop all of us as nearby squads did the same. Behind us, I could hear the rumbling of the lorry engines as artificer engineers made quick work of the foliage and trees to clear a path for them.

We squatted down as Zora reached into a pack on her side, pulled out a set of binoculars, and peered into them while one hand clutched the communication stone in her breast pocket. She mumbled something into it as Isa turned back to me. Seeing my nervousness, she backed up a little and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We're almost there," she said softly. "It looks like we just need to do one final push."

I took a shaky breath. "The hardest push," I clarified. "They'll have this place heavily defended." I gulped. "Th-they're going to try and shoot us as we go in."

Isa bit her lower lip, admittedly not knowing what to say. Get your nerves under control, I thought to myself. We got this; we have the bubble spell; we can project it now… But what if they have other spellcasters of their own? The Colonel said they have soldiers there, like actual soldiers, not machines. What if they know magic?

Isa squeezed my shoulder. As if she could read my mind, she said, "Try to stay focused on now. Right now, we've pushed them back to their base; Zora said we're surrounding them. Everything is going to be okay."

It's going too well, I thought pessimistically. Master, do you sense any of those machines?

"I sense a few, but none of which are immediate threats. They seem to be regrouping at a central point where all the essence is coalescing. Which I presume is this base you need to reach."

Right, I thought. I guess that's to be expected given what Zora said about them falling back. Any tips?

"What could I possibly say to assist in this?" The master said.

"Well, I dunno, some infinite wisdom? You're a powerful guy; maybe you have experience in war.

"Quite the broad assumption," The voice mumbled. "But you are right. I'll admit I am familiar with warfare; however, I would need to see the bigger picture here. Unfortunately, I can only see what your eyes see, and I have a vague feeling of what is out there, but a feeling doesn't show me what is actually there. Not only that, this age of warfare is something I am not accustomed to."

You really must be old then. I sighed.

"Very," The voice replied bluntly. "I'll continue to do my best to provide advice when I can, but do not expect me to provide you with a solution up front. Be careful, Luna; I need you alive."

I know, I know, if I die, your plans get ruined. I took another deep breath, and the voice did not respond.

"There's a few of those fighting machines in the base," I told Isa softly. "A handful are gathering around the essence, which I believe is that big tower."

"You mean the one over there." Isa pointed to the distant fortress, and I swiveled my head to follow her finger. Through the gaps in the trees and leaves, I could faintly see a large structure towering from a vantage point over the field and houses. Unfortunately, due to my height, I couldn't peer over the bushes along the tree line well enough without getting close, and I didn't want to risk poking my head out any further.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied, and Isa sighed as well.

"Well, we already knew that thing was important to them. But it's nice to know what to expect. Lieutenatnt!" Isa called out to Zora.

Zora lowered the binoculars and turned to us. "What is it?"

Isa slapped me on the back. "Little Diviner here says we have some more spindly guys waiting for us at the tower. A handful, she says."

"Do you have an exact number?" Zora asked me directly.

"About five," the voice said.

"About five," I repeated. "I can sense them huddling around the tower. Most likely to defend it."

Zora nodded slowly as Lexis and Nessel shared a glance, the two no longer seemingly skeptical. Mara smiled and adjusted her helmet once more.

"So that means we don't have to deal with them right away?" She asked with a big grin. "That's relief, really; just those two earlier were a nightmare to deal with."

"I wouldn't be so cheery," Gord said with a huff. "If they're huddling in the base, that means artillery is out of the question. They're too close to the prison."

Mara's smile drifted into a frown. "Oh."

Gord nodded. "We'll also need to fight them in close quarters, which means that fucking heat spell is going to burn us to a crisp."

I bit my lower lip. The thought of being turned into ashes did not sound appealing.

"Do we have a way of countering that?" Frisch asked and looked at me. "You know how to disable ether channeling, right?"

I sputtered and looked at Zora and Isa. I've been told about disruption by my mother; it was a high-level spell that could temporarily plug another's well. Like counter-spelling in my old D&D games. Yet, as mentioned, it was a high-tier spell; I had never been taught it.

I shook my head. "N-No."

"It wouldn't work anyway," Zora mentioned. "Reports from other fronts already mentioned that magisters haven't been able to stop the burning light. Mainly due to it not being a spell, but some device within."

"Can our bubbles stop it?" I asked nervously, thinking I already suspected the answer.

Zora shook her head. "No. The best defense against it is total cover, or keeping your distance. It has a very short range."

"Well, there is one counter," Gord grumbled as he hoisted his rifle to his shoulder. "And that's to kill it before it kills us. A few good shots of my rifle in the eye, as you all saw, can take them down. Get me and the other anti-dragon wielders up front, and we can gun them down."

Zora nodded. "Exactly. If they are rallying around the tower, I doubt we'll be able to get them to sally out. We'll be forced to fight them on their terms. But the machines aren't the only issue." She picked a stick off the ground and began to trace a star into the mud. "The star fort has Rusivite soldiers and is most likely sharpshooters, and worst of all, other magisters."

I felt my blood run cold. I recalled my mother back during the camping trip when she fought those timber wolves, and how powerful she seemed. Or hell, even when she fought the fighting machines herself. What if the Rusivites had mages like her on their side? I couldn't fight them!

"Reports just came in from the captain and other companies that Ale and Berry have successfully secured their positions," Zora stated as she began marking their locations on the rough mud map. "The surviving lorry guns are going to take up strategic positions along the eastern and western hills to provide light artillery, but only on the walls. We're going to attempt to create a breach. Once one is made, that's when our assault begins. I'll be honest." Zora took a deep breath. "This will be a headlong charge." She looked at each of us right in the eyes, but especially at me, a gaze that she held for a few seconds. "These butchers, I guarantee you will not go silently. They know how we feel about them."

"Damn right, they do," Drach snarled, and he pounded his fists together. "Once I get my hands on one of those Ursan bastards, I'll skin his fucking pelt."

"Exactly," Zora said with a nod. "Which means they'll go down fighting, every last one of them. Do not underestimate them," she repeated and looked at me. "Luna, when we do the charge, both you and I are going together. I want you to focus on your bubble shield, and I'll try my best to provide artillery support and concealment when need be. Which means everyone should stay close to her and protect this little one with their lives. If she goes down, we'll all be mince meat."

The squad nodded. Another distorted alarm echoed from the fortress, and an angry, unintelligible voice shouted what I could presume to be orders of some kind.

"Oh, I can't wait to find that guy," Drach growled and checked his gun, a small carbine perfectly sized for a halfling. "I heard from other brigades that people have been collecting commissar badges."

"Commissar?" I asked softly.

Drach smiled wickedly and nodded. "That's the voice you're hearing," Isa said as she pointed to the fortress. "A commissar is a political and military figure who acts as a disciplinary officer as well. They keep the soldiers in line and morale high; he's giving a speech."

I blinked. "Wait, you know what they're saying?" I asked stunnedly, How many languages does she know?

Isa nodded. "I told you my homeland was colonized by the Rusivites. I had to learn their language quickly in order to survive. I am very familiar with the commissar. Right now, he is trying to raise the morale of his troops, which tells me our attack has struck fear in them. Spouting about how their 'Great Empress of Enora has blessed them on this faithful day, and that their sacred machines shall not buckle against the heathen menace."

Drach snorted and laughed. "Empress of Enora? Bitch really thinks she rules over us all?"

Nessel chuckled as well and said, "They really are just a bunch of religious nuts."

I could hear the booming voice of this commissar becoming more and more aggressive in his shouting as he gave his passion-filled speech. The language sounded so alien, and aggressive that I hated to admit it, yet something in me didn't even think it sounded human. In the old traditional sense. The man probably wasn't human, as I learned from Isa that Rusimia, which is home to the Urasai race, a group of beast-folk resembling bears before it was colonized by humanity, similar to that of Isa's homeland.

The commissar's voice crescendoed even louder, his voice echoing in pitch, before finally there was one word I could make out when he reached his peak. "Rusimia!" Suddenly, a loud chorus of cheers echoed from the fortress.

"Hoo-rah! Hoo-rah!"

Then the guns spoke. Behind me, a few dozen feet back, the truck guns opened fire. Six loud bangs sent me nearly out of my dress as I dove to the ground, startled. Across the open field on the other side of the abandoned and destroyed village of Dresden, more cannons began to fire.

The alarm once again rose, and the commissar's booming voice confidently yelled over the rain of our artillery from the fortress, I saw streaks of red firing upwards into the sky as I looked up and peered through the trees.

"Enemy mortars! They're firing back!" Isa hissed.

Yet as the red magical shells streaked across the sky towards us, they were thankfully inaccurate as they landed somewhere behind us. At this point, Zora raised her hand to her ear, and she turned to us. "A breach was made!" She shouted as more squad leaders down the line began to shout.

"Fix bayonets!" Swiftly, I saw the men and women around me unsheathing long, gnarly blades before quickly fastening them to their weapons. "Hold for the next volley!" Zora shouted along with the other lieutenants.

My heart began to race as I straightened up beside Isa. I was trying my best to focus my mind; I had to make sure I had a bubble ready for when we began running. Yet I wouldn't have long to focus as suddenly the cannons fired again, and I jerked with a start as Zora pulled out a whistle and blew into it.

"Chaaarge!" She and many others screamed.

"For the Republic!" Mara cried and ran forth as hundreds of men and women poured out from the tree line, running through the open field as I rushed forth beside Isa. Charging forth into the breach.