Dimensional Travels: World at War

Josh sat at a desk in his office. He tapped his fingers on a map as he looked up at his assistant. "Repeat that for me."

The woman gulped and looked down. "Lord Josh, it has been reported that Lord Justin was seen a week ago in the Greshaim village area. Reports say he was with a woman."

Josh growled as he continued tapping the desk. "So the fucker made it out? Very well."

He walked out of his office, heading over to where Mithrael and the Generals had their meetings. He opened the door, walking in and ignoring the scared assistants that has tried to stop him at first.

Mithrael looked at Justin, his eyebrows furrowed. "You bring news?"

"Yes. And it isn’t good. Justin was spotted on our side of Esponia a week ago."

The room went silent. Every General there felt as if a cold bucket of water had been poured on them as they looked at Mithrael. They didn’t speak. Hoaz shifted silently in his chair, his leg tapping on the ground.

"Do you still think we should fire the Brios on that city?"

Justin nodded. "Yes. I think that waiting any further would be a bad idea. We need to hit them now."

Mithrael sighed. He looked up at the Generals. "Get it done. Fire upon the city known as Austin. I want it gone by nightfall."

The Generals scrambled to their feet, leaving Josh and Mithrael alone. The pair looked at each other, with Josh sitting across from Mithrael.

"Tell me more about the capabilities of your world."

Josh nodded.

"For starters, the aircraft we have seen so far are just a small portion of what my country has. The ’black dot’ as you called it, is called a B-2. Even in our world, there are likely only three countries that can target it. Even then, that is merely targeting it. No country has ever shot one down..."

"My country has twenty one of them. Continuing: those jets that decimated your push into and past Esponia are actually low technology compared to the most recent and powerful aircraft the country has. Our Sraiaz launchers would do absolutely nothing against such beasts. The most worrying part of what my country has are the satellites I was telling you about. My country has the most advanced satellites in the world. They can see anything at any given time anywhere in the world."

Mithrael tapped his fingers on the desk. He looked at the map and then back to Josh. "I say you are right. If this unit we are fighting doesn’t surrender after we destroy Austin, we will have no choice but to negotiate treaties."

Josh nodded. "I fear that if the bombing does succeed, peace will no longer be an option. They will scoff at your peace treaty and target everything in the empire outside of population centers."

Mithrael nodded. "Very well. Do you think that targeting Austin still has benefit to us?"

Josh tapped on the desk. His leg thumped on the floor as his eyes scanned over the map.

"Yes. For your goals and purpose, targeting Austin will work. It will cause those otherworld soldiers to stand down, and then we will have unfettered access to Riemskin."

"Very well. I want that city destroyed by tomorrow then."

Eric stood with Mia and Jessica. The family looked at each other, holding hands. "Today we begin the push. We have come a long way in the last year, so don’t try to be a hero and push past your limits. Liara is waiting for us. She will need all of us as she grows up."

He hugged them. "I love both of you. I need both of you. Let us go and push these assholes back from where they came. And then, we will have a huge steak dinner." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Mia clenched his shirt in her fist, grabbing onto it so hard her knuckles turned white. "You follow your own words, okay? We all need you here. And who else is going to bully Liam?" Her breathing hitched as they kissed one last time.

Jessica couldn’t speak. Her eyes were red with tears falling down. She sniffled against his uniform, before sighing.

"Its time."

The family spread apart. Jessica and Mia heading to the east vector, while Eric stayed in the middle of the line. He began to walk the line. "Company commanders and first Sergeants, I want accountability and status counts in twenty minutes. We will begin operations in two hours."

Milano looked at the map in the command room at HQ. The command team had moved from Phase Line Mike back to Hood Hill after determining Cartharic was intent on continuing the encirclment. ISR reports sat in front of the General, and he read each report slowly. "Have these reports been cross verified with the intelligence provided by the exiled Hero?"

"Yes sir. We have confirmed each location was correct. They have approximately five launchers now, with an additional five brios cannons. We have been in contact with the Carrier, and the commander has informed us his aircraft are ready to engage at any moment."

Milano nodded. "Proceed with the plan."

"Roger."

Griesh exhaled as he rolled more mana rounds on a cart towards the cannon. He wiped his brow as he neared the massive machine, looking up at it with shock and awe. He had only seen a Brios up close three times now, and each time he stared in awe. As he set the cart in place, he turned to his commander.

"Sir, when will be loading the cannons? I tire of bringing more carts from down the mountains up here. Each journey takes me half a day."

The commander looked at Griesh with a cold glint. "You will do as ordered, boy. If I order you to bring one hundred carts, you will do so. Your kind are supposed to be strong, but are you weak? I do not see any of the humans complaining about the carts."

Griesh growled, his fur bristling. "Might I remind you, Captain, that such discriminatory remarks are no longer allowed under Lord Mithrael’s new edict. Specifically: Edict 13.01, sections Alpha and Delta. You are no longer allowed to discriminate because of race, gender, or ethnic background. Do I need to inform Hero Josh?"

The commander sneered as he looked down at the tiger kin. "Your days as freedmen are numbered, Tigerkin. Mark my words-"

As the commander continued, whistles were heard overhead. The world turned into a bright light, and then a loud roar as if the entire of Esponia became a dragon maw. Griesh surrounded himself with a mana barrier, groaning as he felt all the air in the atmosphere push against him.

He fell down the mountain, his barrier keeping his body from direct impact. As he rolled, he steadied himself by sticking his claws deep into the snow. He looked up, and his jaw opened in shock.

The entire plateau was now covered in craters.

Griesh scrambled back up the mountain side, but as he did so, he stopped. He felt it...

His fur bristled again as he looked up. More flashes illuminated the night sky, and the pressure caused him to groan, covering his ears in pain. He groaned as he held his ears. Then he felt the wind against him. A massive fireball rose into the sky as wind pushed his body back down the mountain. He groaned as he doubled over in pain.

"What monster have we decided to engage?" He asked warily.

As he tried to stand up, he looked up to a massive wall of white rushing towards him. "Fu-"

His words cut off as the avalanche poured over him. His body collapsed under the weight of the snow as he blacked out, white covering his vision and the roaring of the ground being moved the last thing he heard.

Eric watched from the distance as the mountain face seemed to collapse inward on itself. They had fired two full volleys into the plateau, each of the Twelve Howitzers unleashing every round available. "ISR, confirm targets are destroyed."

He turned to Michael, the captain smoking his cigarette as he surveyed the scene. "Maybe we won’t need air support after all." The captain said with a chuckle while smoke and soot rose into the air. The avalanche stopped, and the two men looked at the now destroyed mountain.

"They turned it into a plateau, we turned it into a hill."

Eric laughed, shaking his head. "Shut up LT."

"Im a captain now, dammit!"

Eric laughed again, patting the younger man on the back. "It doesn’t matter, bud. To me you will always be the kid trying to read an upside down map."

The pair stopped joking around as the radio cackled to life. The drone operator’s voice came in garbled, but the message was clear.

"Master Sergeant Dryer, targets are still standing, I repeat: Targets are still standing!"

Eric looked at Michael. "Fuck."