The First Alliance War (1)
The horns of war blared across the land, and countless soldiers marched forward. The goblins poured out from their nests to confront the humans, but they didn't charge recklessly. They understood the sheer numbers of the enemy—and sensed the unusual ferocity in their advance. It was no easy prey they faced.
In this tense standoff, the elves raised their bows. "Let us claim the honor of the first strike. We'll etch the terror of elven hunters into their bones."
The distance to the goblins was far beyond the reach of any bow. Yet the elves drew arrows and nocked them anyway.
But—
"Hold on. Our new weapon will be far more effective than your puny elven arrows! Grant us the honor of the first attack!"
The dwarves blocked the elves' path.
"Ha! You think your dwarven toys can reach those goblins? What a lame joke. Your weapons have a range as short as your stature."
"Even so, those flimsy arrows of yours won't do much damage. Unless you're planning to light them on fire? You lot whine like your bones are broken if a single twig snaps."
"You done talking, you stinking dwarf runt?!"
"Yeah, I'm done. What're you gonna do about it, you pointy-eared freak?!"
As always, elves and dwarves bickered even with goblins as the common foe right in front of them. Without the goblins, they probably would've turned their weapons on each other.
The one who stepped in to calm the mood was Knight King Lucius, who had gathered them all. "Both of you, stand down. This is no time for infighting on the eve of war."
Even at the Knight King's words, the elves and dwarves kept glaring daggers at each other. Maybe I should've invited just one side, he thought with a twinge of regret.
"For the opening salvo, I'd like to start with the dwarves' new weapon. I hope the elves can understand."
"What? Those runts' toys? You don't even know if the damn things will work!"
"Hah! Unlike you twig-ears, they recognize our inventions! Serves you right! And we've already shown the weapon to the king himself—he's seen its power firsthand!"
The elf turned to the Knight King at the dwarf's boast, and Lucius spoke as if to persuade him. "I've heard tales of elven archery prowess. Your accuracy and power must be unmatched. But what begins now is war. A battle against hordes of foes."
Both elves and dwarves leaned in to listen. The words of the king who had forged a mighty realm weren't to be taken lightly.
"Do the elves have enough arrows to shoot down every last enemy? If not, it might be wise to conserve them—for sniping key targets."
"Conserve? What do you mean?"
"Just that. Your arrows aren't infinite, so I'd like to save them for the most dangerous foes. With your skill, you can pick off the threats from that goblin swarm, right?"
The elf nodded. At bow range, hitting precisely was child's play.
"The dwarves' new weapon... it's devastating, but it lacks the precision for pinpoint shots. That's why I'd ask the elves to handle hobgoblins or orcs leading from the rear."
"I see. You want us to take out the heads."
"Quick to catch on—good."
The elf's scowl eased a bit. "Losing the first-strike honor to those runts chafes, but... no helping it."
"My thanks."
With one issue resolved, the Knight King surveyed the tent. The dwarf who'd been arguing with the elf had slipped out to ready the weapon. The ox beastkin who'd brought Vistia's forces sat watching a tiny rat beastkin devour rice cakes nonstop.
The rat beastkin, who called herself Ratkinia's shield legion commander, munched away at a sack of cakes bigger than her body—while carrying a shield twice her size on her back. The Knight King couldn't help worrying about their supplies.
And then—
"Ooh... this banner... it bears the aura of a god..."
"The famed invincible banner. Truly magnificent. Layers of magic so intricate no one could unravel them... Only a divine being could craft such a thing."
The lizardman great warrior and Procyon's mage representative were engrossed in the Knight King's banner. Bestowed by the Goddess of Life, it was woven with spells beyond even mages' comprehension—small wonder they were fascinated. But why was the lizardman so entranced? He was kneeling in prayer, hands clasped.
A great warrior who should be heading into battle soon. Ignoring the stares around him.
At least he finished quickly and stood.
"Each force will form up as discussed. We'll open with the dwarves' attack—prepare yourselves."
The rat beastkin gulped down her last rice cake lump and bellowed, "Yes sir! Leave it to me! On Graytail's name—I swear we'll hold the front line!"
Her cute looks belied her fierce spirit. The nearby ox beastkin just nodded silently.
With that, the commanders filed out to launch the war. Once the lingering mage was shooed away from the banner, the Knight King took up his helm.
"Hoo... May the gods guide us."
The ogres were still a threat, but the Goddess of Life had promised aid through her priest. Donning his helm, he gripped the banner.
"Alright, you lot! This is the moment our invention shines! Do it right!!! If you misfire again, you're done for!!!"
Dozens of dwarves hustled about. Assembling bizarre wooden contraptions with practiced ease—proof of countless drills.
The finished machines were optimized for hurling payloads: primitive catapults.
"Good! Ammo! Bring the ammo! Drench it in oil before loading!!! And don't forget to light the fuses before firing!"
But the ammo wasn't mere stones. Wooden shells pieced together and bound with ropes—designed to incinerate fire-weak goblins.
"This time the loader's iron, so it'll weigh different! But no more catapults catching fire from the ammo! Now, call-and-response—properly! Oil check!!"
"Oil check!!!"
The dwarves moved in sync, shouting back.
"Load!!"
"Load!!!!"
Ammo slotted, oil poured.
"Ignite!!"
"Ignite!!!!"
"Ready catapults—fire!"
"No. 1—fire!"
"No. 2—fire!"
"No. 3—fire!"
"No. 4—fire!"
"No. 5—fire! All catapults fired!"
Blazing shells launched from five catapults. Oil-soaked ropes ignited midair, shattering the payloads into wide sprays of fragments.
A rain of fire poured over the goblins, scattering embers everywhere. To the flame-vulnerable goblins, it was divine wrath.
Even with success, the dwarves pressed on without cheer.
"Autonomous fire from now! Empty the ammo—burn every last one!!!"
They kept raining fiery death. Careless oil spills torched three catapults, ending the barrage as ammo ran dry.
Still, the inferno declared war's dawn.
"Epona Knights! Charge! Split their clusters!"
Mounted knights and horse beastkin thundered toward packed goblin groups.
"Vistia—flank the enemy."
The beastkin alliance wheeled sideways.
"Ratkin! Shields up, advance! Press the line!"
The front-line rat beastkin shield legion pushed forward in tight formation.
"Great warriors of the dragon! Unleash your instincts—rampage!!"
Scaled warriors. Lizardmen roared instinctively, gripping obsidian weapons as they charged the goblins.
"Heh, quite the racket up front, eh? Isn't it, elf?"
"We merely hunt the worthy prey."
The elf's cool reply drew a wry smile from the mage. He began fire spells; elves summoned wind spirits, infusing arrows onto strings.
And so the war began.
