Worldbuilding: US Equipment
ARX-35 Assault Rifle
The standard issue weapon of choice for the United States armed forces, the ARX-35 assault rifle is a sturdy and dependable weapon. It fires 6.8x51mm bullets from a 25 round magazine. It has two firing mods, semi-auto and full-auto. The rifle has an effective range of 800 meters, with the assistance of a tac visor; Its foldable scope can interface with the soldier's tac visor to provide augmented reality aim assistance.
MRX-39B Marksman rifle
The MRX-39B is the United States' standard long range sniper rifle. Thanks to its advanced aim assist software and tac visor interface, the MRX-39B has an effective range of up to 2,500 meters in the hands of a human soldier. If handled by a droid however, the effective range goes up to 3,500 meters. The sniper has variable electronic magnification that can interface directly with a soldier's tac visor. The rifle's AI provides the soldier with important tactical information such as wind speed, target distance, lead, elevation, etc.
Hwacha Light Missile Support Truck
The Hwacha Light Missile Support Truck can carry up to 20 light missiles. The missile rack has four rows of five launchers each. The truck is modular, however, allowing it to be refitted to carry fewer but more powerful missiles if needed. The type of missiles carried by the truck vary based on the specific mission the truck is deployed on. Standard light missile types include artillery, anti-air and anti-tank missiles. The Hwacha has four front wheels and six in the rear, for a total of ten wheels to support the heavy weight of so many missiles.
M850 Self Propelled Howitzer
The M850 self propelled howitzer is the United State's most modern mobile artillery platform. It shares several design characteristics with the Rhino, such as an 8x8 chassis and a boxy angular design, giving them a similar look. Just like the Rhino, it has a crew of four: a driver, a gunner, an equipment operator, and a commander. As with most modern vehicles, it is equipped with an AI capable of carrying out most vehicle functions without human input.
Its 160mm cannon can fire four rounds per minute, thanks to automated reloading systems. Although, when the reloading mechanism runs out of ammunition, humans or droids will have to manually restock it with more shells. The M850 can carry a total of 50 shells of varying types, depending on its mission requirements. The standard unguided munitions have an effective range of up to 50 km. To identify the exact location of distant targets, it has four top stowed recon drones. For defense, it has one AI controlled M4 .50 caliber machine gun above the cabin, sitting just below the main cannon in its resting position.
Recon Drone (RD-28)
The recon drone is an unarmed quadcopter designed solely for reconnaissance. When its arms are unfolded, the recon drone is .5 meters across, from the tips of its propellers. It is equipped with optical cameras, thermal sensors, lidar sensors, and radar. Recon drones can be carried by individual soldiers in the field or deployed from a larger vehicle or military base. The drone's AI is capable of operating and returning to its launch point with acquired information completely autonomously. It is even capable of successfully searching for its mother vehicle if said vehicle is out of contact and has moved position.
Light Combat Drone (LCD-34) (This is the military drone seen in chapter 1)
The light combat drone is a large quadcopter drone the size of a small car. Its main weapons are a chin mounted 7.62mm machine gun turret and eight Spike-B missiles mounted within the front of its chassis. It carries two droids underneath its belly for rapid field deployment. The droids can be lowered into their vertical deployment position and dropped safely from a height of up to 10 meters. Law enforcement agencies use a similar drone design, but with most of the weapons removed.
The drone's advanced mechanical arms are capable of adjusting the orientation of its propellers for maximum maneuverability and stability. It can be equipped with an assortment of modular utility equipment, such as loudspeakers and search lights. Variations of drones built with the LCD-34 chassis include: EWD-35 (electronic warfare drone), HCD-38 (heavy combat drone), ACD-37 (aerial combat drone), and RDC-32 (recon drone carrier). Most variants have built in solar panels on their top side to recharge their batteries in the field, albeit slowly.
Heavy Droid Carrier Drone (HDCD-45)
The heavy droid carrier drone is a much larger version of the LCD-34. Like its smaller cousin, it is fully unmanned and autonomous. It carries a total of 20 droids in its elongated underbelly compartment. To save space, the droids are stored horizontally across the width of the drone until they are ready to be deployed. Then, they are lowered into a vertical position in two columns running down the length of the drone facing outwards from each other. It has modular weapon hardpoints to fit the needs of its mission parameters. However, the standard loadout includes: one chin mounted 30mm chain gun turret, four M4 .50 caliber machine gun turrets, four Hydra-72 missile pods, two grenade launcher turrets, and two active denial systems.
Chapter 8:
June 29th, 2053
Duremar Plains, 8:00 AM
After last night's attack by the forest ghoul, everyone was on edge. None of them had ever seen anything like it before. It was the first time they had ever come face to face with a true monster. Two droids were destroyed in the attack, leaving ten remaining.
Daniel decided that the droids alone were not enough to protect them from the unknown threats of this strange new world. Their ARX-35 assault rifles barely scratched the forest ghoul; who knows what else is out there?
He decided that from now on, their combat vehicles would remain activated even when not in use. That way, the onboard AI could immediately respond to unexpected dangers with their heavier weaponry. In hindsight, he realized that they should have been doing that all along, but they certainly weren't expecting something like a forest ghoul to attack them.
The rest of the night was calm and uneventful though. They managed to get some rest, and were now preparing to continue their journey to Miretan. After the attack, Elmot fell unconscious and still hadn't woken up. The medics couldn't find anything wrong with him. He was simply asleep.
Daniel walked over to check on Elmot and Martin, "How's he doing?"
"Still no change," Martin said. "Whatever that light was, it sure took a lot out of him."
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with him?" Daniel asked. "He's not in a coma or anything?"
"As far as I can tell, he's perfectly fine, just asleep. A few hours ago he was in REM sleep. The only thing that worries me is that we can't wake him up."
"Don't be so certain about that," said a groggy Elmot.
Daniel and Martin both turned to see Elmot's eyes open for the first time since the attack.
"You're awake!" Exclaimed Martin.
Elmot sat up with Martin's help. He rubbed his eyes and looked around.
"Are you alright? How do you feel?" Martin asked.
"I've been better," Elmot replied.
David, the team's physicist, was nearby, waiting for Elmot to regain consciousness. He wanted to ask about the forest ghoul's magic and how Elmot stopped it. Seeing that Elmot was awake, he eagerly began walking over.
"What happened to you?" Daniel asked. "After the attack, you just fell over"
"I must have passed out from mana exhaustion," Elmot explained.
"Mana exhaustion?" Asked Martin.
Elmot was confused for a moment, but then replied, "Oh right, I guess you wouldn't know what that is, not having any magic. Mana is the source of all magic, and last night, I used every last drop of my mana pool to vanquish the forest ghoul."
"So using too much magic at once can be harmful?" Speculated Martin.
"Very harmful," Elmot replied. "I've never faced a forest ghoul alone before. Quite frankly, I think I'm lucky to be alive."
"I think we're all lucky," David said as he joined the conversation. "What was that thing and how did you manage to kill it?"
Daniel noticed that Agent Vanderhoff was nearby, silently listening in on the conversation.
"Forest ghouls are an amalgamation of tree branches, plant life, and animal bones, along with life mana and dark mana," Elmot explained. "Dark mana and light mana are opposites of each other, which is why forest ghouls are so vulnerable to light magic."
"Light and dark mana, life mana, water magic, fire magic..." David said, as he counted each one on his fingers. "Exactly how many types of magic are there?" David asked.
Elmot quickly replied, "There are nine total types of mana. Well, ten, if you count demonic mana. But it's not natural and almost never used."
"Well? What are they?" David probed.
"Maybe we should let Elmot recover a bit before you go interrogating him," Martin said, only half joking.
"It's fine," Elmot said to Martin. "Now that my mana pool has had time to regenerate, the effects of mana exhaustion are much less intense. I should be perfectly fine in a few hours."
Elmot turned to David and answered, "First, there's basic mana. It's the most universally used type of mana and has a huge range of applications. Next, you have elemental mana: water, earth, fire, and air. I've already shown you fire and water magic, so you can probably guess what earth and air magic do. Then, you have your advanced mana: life, psionic, light, and dark."
Elmot paused to collect his thoughts before explaining the advanced mana types. "Life magic allows a mage to control and influence living things, like you saw last night when the forest ghoul attacked us with vines. Psionic magic is all about the power of the mind. It grants a mage powerful mental abilities like telekinesis and telepathy. Like I said, light and dark magic are opposites. They both have a few unique characteristics but are otherwise similar to each other. Most light magic spells have corresponding dark magic counterparts, and vice versa."
Daniel, Martin, and especially David listened with interest as Elmot explained more about magic. Agent Vanderhoff continued listening from a distance, but Daniel could see that he had much less enthusiasm.
"What exactly is magic?" David asked curiously.
"What do you mean?" Elmot replied, unsure of what the question meant.
"I mean, what is magic? Where does it come from? How does it work?
"Magic is just... magic. There really isn't much more to it than that, I'm afraid." Seeing that David wasn't satisfied with that response, Elmot added, "Perhaps you could find the answers you seek at the Grand Elven Academy of Magic."
"What's that?" David asked eagerly.
"It is the largest magical school and research institute on the continent," Elmot said proudly. "All of the elven kingdoms contribute to it and everyone is welcome to share the knowledge discovered there."
A magic research institute? And one that was apparently friendly and willing to share their knowledge? David could barely contain his excitement.
"We have to go there!" He told Daniel, like a child asking to go to a toy store.
"I don't disagree," Daniel began, "But we won't be doing that any time soon. There are much more urgent matters we have to deal with first."
"The existence of magic is probably the most important scientific discovery in history! What could be more important than that?"
"In case you've forgotten," Daniel said harshly, "there are still nine hundred forty two American citizens still being held by the Rontak Empire. After we return to Fort Roanoke with the mithril, rescuing them will once again be our top priority."
As a matter of fact, David had forgotten about the hostages. With the mission to Miretan, the forest ghoul attack, and magic fresh in his memory, it slipped his mind that there were still innocent people being held by the enemy.
That shut down the conversation about magic for the time being. The 4th Deep Recon Team finished packing up their camp from the previous night, and an hour later they were ready to get back on the road to Miretan.
Daniel was boarding his Rhino with Benny right behind him. As they were about to close the door, Benny stopped and turned his head and said, "Hey... what's that?"
Curious, Daniel turned around and stepped back out of the Rhino. A few marines followed him while others opened the Rhino's top hatches to get a look at what Benny was pointing at.
Daniel almost missed it in the vastness of the plains, but there it was: a light blue, glowing ball about one hundred meters away. Because of the distance, he couldn't tell exactly how big it was, but it looked like it was close to a basketball in size. It was hovering a few meters off the ground as it floated along a path that would bring it closer to them.
Calling up to the front of the Rhino, Daniel said, "Marcus, we have a... some kind of glowing orb, one hundred meters to your right. Do you have a visual?"
Marcus replied a few seconds later, "Affirmative, I see it. What is that?"
"Target it with the .50 cal, just to be safe, but don't fire unless it approaches," Daniel ordered.
They could hear the soft hum of the .50 cal turret's motors as it turned to target the orb. Elmot, hearing what was going on, came out of the Rhino and stepped towards Daniel.
"Do not be alarmed, it won't harm us," he said.
"You know what that thing is?" Daniel asked, pointing to the glowing orb.
"That's only a mana ball," Elmot said calmly. "They are passive magical creatures. It will flee once it notices us."
To prove his point, Elmot shot a small burst of fire from his fingers in the general direction of the mana ball. It was a clear miss, but the creature understood the message and floated off in the other direction. With the situation resolved, they all got back to the Rhino and continued to Miretan.
As they drove away, Daniel took one last look at the remains of the forest ghoul. There were a few large centipedes with wicked looking pinchers picking at what was left of the monster. Daniel would be glad to get away from it; that skull gave him the creeps. As they continued to Miretan, David asked Elmot about mana balls in the crew compartment.
"What is a mana ball, exactly? It is some kind of animal?"
"Not really," Elmot replied. "It's a dense collection of mana. The one we saw was a regular mana ball. They come in all varieties of mana. Not much else is known about them. They don't do anything other than wander around aimlessly. Unless you persistently provoke one, they're not dangerous at all."
"If it helps," Marcus called back from the command cabin, "we didn't pick up any thermal readings from it at all. It was completely invisible on our infrared cameras."
Elmot didn't know what that meant, but David did. "Interesting..." he said to himself, lost in thought, theorizing about finding a way to study mana balls more closely. Ever since coming to this world, that was something he was doing more and more. Once more laboratories were set up on this side of the portal, they were sure to make plenty of groundbreaking discoveries.
June 29th, 2053
Duremar Plains, Fort Roanoke 11:00 AM
Lieutenant General Reed was meeting with Air Force Colonel Heather Briggs and the Chief of Operations of Fort Roanoke, US Army Colonel Jack Mason, regarding the expansion of the base. So far they had set up an outer fence to serve as a first line of defense. The main base was protected by a 3D printed wall, with an inner defense perimeter and wall guarding the portal itself, which was enclosed in a metal dome, similar to the one in Central Park. Thanks to advanced robotics and 3D printing technology, the development of the base was proceeding quickly.
Map of Fort Roanoke as of June 29th, 2053.
Color code
Barracks: green
Armory: orange
Command/logistics: dark blue
Science: light blue
Medical: cyan
Vehicle Depot: red
Hangar: purple
Storage Depot: brown
Detention: gray
Under Construction: blank outline
Undeveloped land: blank
Inner Defence Perimeter: ///
Colonel Briggs was finishing up a report on the Air Force's progress so far. "Construction of the primary runway and initial hangars was finished yesterday, sir. We're now ready to begin reassembling aircraft and constructing additional hangars."
"Good," replied Lt. Gen Reed. "Get a team of droids on it right away. Prioritize the SR-73s."
"Yes sir," replied Colonel Briggs.
They needed more intel on the Rontak Empire and what the terrain was like farther out from the base. Aside from the limited intelligence the Deep Recon Teams brought back, they didn't have much to go on. With the possibility of more demonic entities out there, and no way to fight them yet, sending ground reconnaissance teams was far too dangerous.
Aerial surveillance from the SR-73 Blackbirds was their best bet to safely gather information on the region. Until now though, all of their aircraft were still in pieces after being brought through the portal, severely limiting their air power. That would change soon though, and the United States would take ownership of the skies above the Rontak Empire.
Moving on, Lieutenant General Reed asked, "What about the drone bays?"
"The first one is operational, but the other two are still being built. The first drones are scheduled to arrive later today. As requested, we'll receive 150 LCD-34s (light combat drones), 100 ACD-37s (aerial combat drones), and 50 RDC-32s (recon drone carriers)."
"Good work, Colonel. Keep me informed of your progress. Dismissed"
Colonel Briggs saluted, and then turned to leave. Shifting his attention to Colonel Mason, Lieutenant General Reed asked, "How are we doing on personnel and equipment?"
With a stone cold professional face, Colonel Mason answered, "We have about 10,000 active duty military personnel currently on site. Construction of additional facilities is underway, and that number will grow to 30,000 in another two weeks. We have 2,000 standard combat droids in addition to those stored onboard the Rhinos. There are also 1,000 civilian employees living and working on the base."
Colonel Mason smirked and said, "Then there's the eggheads. We've got a few dozen scientists on this side of the portal, so far. They've been on my back about expanding their facilities. They're quite a persistent bunch."
"Well, they're just going to have to sit tight and be patient," Lieutenant General Reed said. "Until the rest of the base is complete, scientific research isn't a high priority."
"I'll relay the sentiment," Colonel Mason said with a smile. He paused for a moment before continuing to report on the status of the base's vehicle complement. "Vehicle depots one and two are at capacity, with a collective 300 Rhinos, 100 Abrams X2s, 100 logistic trucks, and 50 Hwachas. Depots three and four are still under construction, limiting further vehicle shipments, but once they're complete we'll receive more logistic trucks, Rhinos and Abrams X2s, along with 400 M1200 Humvees and 150 M850 self propelled howitzers."
"Double check with the logistics team back home and make sure they don't send us any guided munitions for the howitzers," Lieutenant General Reed said. "GPS guidance won't work without satellites. We'll just have to manage doing things the old fashioned way until NASA and the Space Force–"
A Sergeant burst into Lieutenant General Reed's office, cutting him off mid sentence. "SIR!" She said with a salute, before stopping to catch her breath. "We have a situation at the east gate. There's...people, sir."
"The hell do you mean by 'people', Sergeant?" Asked an annoyed Lieutenant General Reed.
"I mean people, sir; from the Rhinewood River Valley. They said they're fleeing from rampant banditry. Apparently, one of our deep recon teams fought off some thugs at one of their villages. I guess the word spread, and they thought we could help them."
Lieutenant General Reed vaguely recalled First Lieutenant Ramirez's report on the incident. Getting up from his desk, he said, "Well, they'd be right. Colonel, have food and water sent to the east gate. Also, send two extra platoons to meet me there and increase security around the outer perimeter."
"Yes sir!" Came Colonel Mason's quick reply. "How many people are out there, Sergeant?"
"Droids estimate that there's almost 2000 people right now, but more keep showing up," she replied.
With that information, Colonel Mason went to carry out his orders. Lieutenant General Reed left his office in the main command building and went to the east gate to greet their guests.
June 29th, 2053
Duremar Plains, Rontak's Reach, 4:00 PM
When Princess Maribelle arrived at the city's air base this morning, the wyverns were agitated by Rago. Despite being evolutionary cousins, dragons and wyverns did not get along well. Rago was too exhausted from the long flight to cause trouble though; and the wyverns knew better than to mess with a dragon. The wyvern knights at the base moved Rago to his own enclosure away from the wyverns, though, just to be safe.
After taking a few hours to rest from her long rushed journey from the capital, Princess Maribelle was ready to get to work. She was on her way to the keep's war room to plan her next course of action. She needed to find information on the Otherworlders, but how exactly could she do that?
Princess Maribelle walked into the war room where Commanders Ralva and Palok, along with General Rallek, were waiting for her. She took her seat at the head of the table, a spot formerly reserved for Lord Kushmon, but her royalty superseded his nobility. He was still in transit to Rontak's Reach anyway, on his slower wyvern, so it didn't really matter.
Princess Maribelle began the meeting. "What's the situation at the portal site, General Rallek?" She asked.
"Not good, Princess," began the General. "The enemy has built a significant base on our side of the portal. From what we've gathered from local villages, they have also been sending scouts to the surrounding area. They ride around on massive war beasts covered head to tail in metal armor, but with the speed and mobility of light cavalry."
"What kind of creatures are they?" Maribelle asked. She was curious how a creature could be encumbered by so much armor but still move so quickly.
"One of my knights based here in Duremar saw a pair of them several days ago," Palok said. "She couldn't discern much about the beasts from so high up, though, but she did say that they were moving very fast for such large armored beasts."
"That corroborates what we've heard from the commoners," added Ralva.
"Do we know how many of these creatures the enemy possesses?" Asked the Princess.
"Unfortunately, we do not, Your Majesty," answered General Rallek. "After the last battle, Lieutenant General Ulmok reported that the enemy had several dozen war beasts, but that was more than a week ago. For all we know, the enemy could have brought hundreds more through the portal by now."
"Then we need to find out," proclaimed the Princess. "Palok, send some of your knights to scout above the enemy base and report on its status: how many soldiers they have, magi cannons, war beasts, fortifications, everything. But make sure to fly high and keep your distance. If you see the enemy's weapons, get out of there. My father only told me to be careful, but I am extending those instructions to all of you as well."
"Understood, Princess. I'll send a squad of my best spotters right away," Palok replied.
Princess Maribelle nodded to Palok, and then asked General Rallek, "What have you learned from interrogating the slaves captured from the other side of the portal?"
General Rallek frowned at the question. Apparently, it was not good news. "Very little, I'm afraid. We've learned that they call themselves 'Americans' and are from a kingdom called 'the United States', but little else. Most of the slaves were rather forthcoming actually, but what they said makes little sense."
"How do you mean?" Asked Princess Maribelle.
"For starters, the Americans claim not to have any magic at all, even though that is plainly false. When we asked about their war beasts they claimed not to know what we are talking about. However, when we described the beasts to them, they claimed that they are not beasts at all, but rather mechanical contraptions." said General Rallek.
"That's absurd," said Princess Maribelle. "And I suppose the Portal Conquest Army was obliterated on its own accord then as well? I thought you said they were cooperative, General?"
"Oh they are," General Rallek assured her. "Everything they shared, they did so quite eagerly; and their answers remained the same, even under the blade. I believe they are speaking the truth, or at least part of it. We just don't know enough about them yet to know for sure."
"Step up your interrogation, General," Commanded Princess Maribelle. "I want whatever information they're holding back."
This was not the time to be soft and let her personal morals impede her mission. She needed every bit of information she could get, however she could get it. If torture could get her what she needed, then so be it, however regrettable it might be.
"It will be done, Princess," said General Rallek.
"Ralva, " Princess Maribelle continued, "Spread your knights out across Duremar and try to find out where the enemy scouts are now. If we can catch a few of their beasts alone, we might be able to overwhelm them and capture them for ourselves."
"Good thinking, Maribelle," Ralva replied. "Without the rest of their army for support, a few lone beasts are no match for a swarm of wyverns."
"Exactly," said the Princess. "It might be difficult not to cook the beasts in their armor with our wyverns' fireballs, but examining their remains would still be a victory."
Their planning continued well into the night. There was much to discuss and prepare for. Princess Maribelle finally retired for the night in one of the palace's bedrooms; she was exhausted. Traveling the Rontak Empire with her knights, she had slept in far worse beds than this one and was grateful for the comfort it provided. Though the 'Americans' weighed heavily on her mind, she eventually found sleep.
Author's Note: I'm changing "cargo trucks" to "logistic trucks." It's purely a stylistic change, the trucks themselves are still exactly the same. Going forward they'll just be called "logistic trucks."
This was a dialogue heavy chapter, so I apologize if some of the dialogue tags were repetitive. I hope the diagram of Fort Roanoke is clear about what's a wall and what's just a road. If there's any confusion, let me know and I can revise the description.