Worlds War

Chapter 65: The New World

January 14, 1 ANM

Annus Novus Mundus - In the year of the new world

As the clock rolled over midnight on New Years, the final energy wave engulfed the world. In the initial merger, many Human lives were lost. Some cities were swallowed by lakes and seas, others were torn apart by the shift in the land's topography, and some were overwhelmed by Xothican beasts and monsters. It is estimated that at least a billion lives were lost in the aftermath of the merger. Millions more remain missing.

Regardless of the damage, the preparations that Humanity took and the UNDF's efforts managed to save countless more lives. In the following two weeks of the merger, all the militaries of the world fought back against monsters. It was constant warfare each day. The combat was on a scale not seen since the darkest days of the second world war.

When Humanity gained access to the SYSTEM, Tom went to work to use his Teacher ability to give the spells Heal and Fireball to as many UNDF soldiers as he could. He still hid away just how powerful the Teacher skill was from the UNDF. Tom was worried that giving powerful A and S rank abilities to thousands could result in additional problems to the world. Heal and Fireball were more than sufficient to secure UNDF's combative capability.

After the first hour of teaching, Tom grew frustrated with the tedious process and, as a joke, tried to teach an entire group of soldiers the spells at the same time. It was then he discovered the skill had a shortcut by allowing him to give skills to multiple people at the same time.

The UNDF had thousands of soldiers gathered at any given time so Tom could teach them the two spells. This cut a process that would have taken years, and reduced it to a week to teach every UNDF soldier Heal and Fireball. When each member of the military was given magic abilities, the UNDF's prospects in beating back the monsters looked more positive.

While Humanity fought, the world's surface changed. Earth and Xoth has now become Xearth and the continents of the world transformed. North America merged with Erlonia. South America merged with Sogen. Eviska merged with Antarctica. And eastern Europe and Asia merged with Misakeh.

Most of the UNDF's efforts was focused in Asia due to the more dangerous wildlife from the Misakeh continent. UNDF teamed up with the militaries of Russia, China, India, and Pakistan to fight back against the Xothican flora and fauna and to create safe zones around various cities and eventually reopen highways.

The Beastkin homeland and continent, Bohalen, appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the east of the Hawaiian islands. No contact has been made with the continent yet.

Most importantly, Almawt, the Demon continent, appeared west of Australia and its barrier kept it from merging with any landmass. Instead it completely eliminated all land within a radius of the continent. As a result, the western third of Australia completely vanished. In the immediate aftermath of the merger, many militaries attempted to send drones towards Almawt to gain Intel, but the barrier destroy any craft that came into contact with it.

Africa was the least affected landmass as the floating continent of Tanin appeared over Africa with only small portions of land appearing in South and Northern Africa. Despite the lack of monsters, Africa had a problem that no one foresaw. The floating landmasses above it have created dark spots in Africa. This has stunted farming in various locations due to lack of sunlight. Efforts to remedy this situation is still ongoing. As for the floating continent, the UN has temporarily labelled it a restricted area.

It wasn't just Earth that was affected by the merger, space changed as well. The other Xothican moon transferred into orbit around the planet. The moon was slightly further out from Earth than its original moon and was less dense. These two traits turned out to be a saving grace as its effects on the tides of Earth was not as great as originally predicted. While some coastal cities sank into the sea, many others still remain.

The remains of the other Xothican moon, the one that appeared during Operation Overtime, safely drifted away from Xearth thanks to Earth's moon's, now identified as Luna, gravity slingshotting it away. The rocks can still be seen in the night sky and resembles a thick cluster of stars.

What was surprising during these two weeks was how little contact Humanity had with the Xothican locals. It's believed the reason for this is because the Xothicans are not as widespread as Humanity. There have been encounters with a random merchant or adventurer, but no more than two villages have come into contact with Humanity. In each instance, the encounter was peaceful and both parties were able to learn from one another.

The UNDF even traded with the merchants for access to new metals, potions, and language crystals. Salt and pepper was used in the trade. The merchants thought to have profited greatly from trading with the Humans, but in reality, they were somewhat swindled. Humanity gave the equivalent of three thousands dollars worth of salt and pepper for what could be considered hundreds of thousands dollars worth of goods.

Though if Humanity is going to fully embrace this new world, they needed alliances with the major factions of Xoth. This is where Tom finds his team.

VVVVVV

Erlonia/North America/Canada

Four RG-31 Nyala armoured vehicles drove down the remains of a Canadian highway that was torn up from the merger. The two vehicles were painted in forest camouflage. The vehicles resembled a heavily armoured SUV with a fifty caliber machine-gun turret mounted on top with a soldier manning it. There were vast forests on both sides of the highway made of trees not known to exist in Ontario or anywhere else on Earth. The trees had branches that were spindly and covered with long leaves that drooped.

Tom's team was inside the front vehicle. UNDF soldiers were inside the second, Canadian forces inside the back vehicles, and diplomats from the UN, Canada, and the United States inside the third. The mission of these vehicles was to reached Skysign and create diplomatic and economic relations with the City State. At a bare minimum, they are hoping to do a Portal crystal exchange with the city so they can travel there from UN Headquarters. This encounter would be used as an example for future diplomatic teams to learn from.

This was also going to be the last official mission Tom's team was going to do for the UNDF. Once these diplomats made contact with the Governor of Skysign, Tom's team would finally be free to pursue their own goals. The search for the other Elementals.

An arrow hit the windshield of the front vehicle and bounced away making a ding noise.

"Hold!" the front gunner yelled into the comm.

The convoy came to a complete stop. The four gunners slightly crouched and scanned the area for hostiles.

Three male Xothicans walked out of the forest and onto the road in front of them. Two of them were Elves and the third was a Murine Beastkin. The Elves were dressed in heavy leather armour while the rat man was dressed in light plate armour. One Elf was armed with a bow and the other two with swords.

Tom groaned in frustration. "Fucking bandits. I didn't think it would be this soon."

"How do we proceed?" the driver asked.

"There's likely more. Have the pilot of the drone above us mark them all. I'll try to see if I can resolve this peacefully. Gunners remain at the ready. If it goes south, shoot everything."

"Understood," the gunner said.

"They don't look so tough," Vivian scoffed. "They're just level ten."

"One, ten, or a hundred, we don't take risks," Sylmae reminded. "Be careful, Tom."

Tom exited out the rear door of the vehicle and walked around the APC. He walked out in front of the convoy, switched his helmet's comm to external, and said, "Some would consider it rude to get attention using an arrow."

"This is a robbery," one of the Elves announced.

"No shit..." Tom muttered under his breath.

"You are to hand over all your goods, your weapons, that armour, any woman you have, and those horse-less armoured carriages. Are those Bohalen? Demon made?"

"Look..." Tom's voice turned serious and had an air of authority. "We are a diplomatic convoy on our way to Skysign. We don't want any trouble, but if you continue down this path, it will not end well for you. For your sake, move somewhere else."

The Murine Beastkin seemed to shudder a bit from Tom's voice. The two Elves stayed strong.

"We have fifty guys around you." He made a gesture towards the forest. True to his word, several dozen other bandits showed themselves. "Either you give us what we want, or we take what we want."

An arrow flew from the tree line towards Tom. To the bandits' surprise, he caught it before it could strike him. Tom dropped the arrow. He took in a breath and said, "Alright." He switched his comm to the internal group channel. "Hostiles. Open fire."

The machine guns of all four turrets roared to life. The gunners saw each bandit marked on their helmet's HUD and aimed towards them. The bandits had no idea what was happening as they watch their fellows be torn apart by an unseen, but loud, force.

"What the fuck kind of magic is this!" the rat man yelled as he tried to run away. Before he could get far, bullets tore him in half.

One of the Elves charged towards Tom in a desperate bid to take him as a hostage to stop the attack. Tom vanished from his sight and reappeared behind him.

"I warned you," Tom said before he swung his sword.

The Elf's head flew from his body. It hit the ground and rolled several times before it stopped. His body slumped over and collapsed onto the ground. The neck hole and head base spilt blood onto the dirt and pavement.

Calin Doss dropped ten silver and fifty-three copper coins. Calin Doss dropped a map. Calin Doss dropped a journal.

The other Elf tried to aim his arrow at one of the gunners. The gunner noticed and readjusted his machine gun. The Elf let loose his arrow. The gunner quickly dodged the arrow by leaning to one side. He then returned fire. The bullets created several giant holes in the Elf, ending his life before he even realized he was attacked.

The marks on the gunners' HUD disappeared one by one until there were none left. The gunners ended their attacks. "All bandits are down," one of them announced.

"Gather the bodies so we can set them on fire," Tom ordered. He took out the ten silver and fifty-three copper and placed it back on the body of the Elf he personally killed. He had to avoid violating the Geneva Convention and not loot the bodies of enemy combatants. "Make sure to check them for any letters or books. Leave personal effects and weapons unless it looks like it has historical value. If so, take them and turn them in to Command. Vi, I'm going to need a hole for the bodies. Tala, I'll need the fire."

VVVVVV

Zokot Kingdom

The Morbus royal family sat around the dining table. The room they were in was massive and opulent. The walls were pearly white and the support pillars were lined with gold. The dining table shared the lavish aesthetic of the room. The entire table was made with crystal that was so clear it looked like the dishes floated on air.

The table was covered with the finest silverware and large dishes with some of the most expensive meals the kingdom could buy. At the center of the table was a roast baby drake with a green fruit stuff in its mouth. The Archon Demons stuffed their mouths as they discussed the latest news from the continent of Almawt.

The king and patriarch of the Morbus family, Vizik Sov Morbus, was a pudgy man dressed in regal clothing. There was grease around his mouth as he chewed on a piece of Drake meat. The wife and Queen, Duv Sov Morbus, ate her meal a small bite at a time while occasionally stopping to dab the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

The two brothers, Daed and Dellik, imitated the gluttonous mannerisms of their father and barely used their utensils. Despite their savage etiquette, they were the very image of a male Archon Demon. Tall, for a Xothican, handsome and muscular. Their horns were close to a foot long and curved upwards from their forehead.

The daughter, Tuliene, was in between her mother and father when it came to eating. While having the manners to use her utensils to properly eat, she didn't fuss over every little speck around her mouth. Tuilene, like most female Archon, had fairly short horns that came out from her forehead by about five centimeters. She had long straight, shiny, raven black hair that reached her shoulders. Leaf-green skin and crimson red eyes with slit pupils like a cat. As is common to all Demons of every sub-race, she had a ropey tail with a heart-shaped end. Like her mother, she wore a fancy and frilly red dress. Tuliene wished for death from wearing the dress and the corset under it.

"Tuliene, please mind your appearance when eating," her mother chastised. "A lady must always mind her appearance at all times, even while eating. Especially while eating."

"Yes, mother," Tuliene replied. She grit her teeth in annoyance and angrily thought, 'meanwhile, my two brothers and my slob of a father are free to gorge like wild boars.'

"My sons it seems our time is coming," Vizik announced. "Our campaign to distract and weaken the Eikoryu army was a resounding success. Lord Hastur is very pleased with us. A new war will begin soon."

"What about the Humans?" Daed asked. "Won't their advance technology cause problems?"

Vizik scoffed. "The Humans are busy trying to protect their own people. Remember. They didn't have access to the SYSTEM until two weeks ago. The only Human we have to worry about is Everett."

Tuliene perked up when she heard that name. The only time she intently listened to her parents was when the topic of Thomas Everett was brought up. As allies to Hastur, they were privy to the events of Earth and the adventures of Thomas Everett and his group of adventurers. The stories started over a month ago.

Vizik retold the tales with disgust and derision. Tuilene, on the other hand, found herself become more enamored with this Human, as her father called him, and his incredible adventures. The fact that he angered her parents made it all the better.

"Hastur is putting out a bounty on Thomas Everett," Vizik announced.

"How much?" Dellik asked.

"One hundred platinum coins."

Everyone at the table nearly choked on their own food.

"And fifty platinum for each of his companions," Vizik added.

"What in Hastur's name did he do now?!" Daed yelled.

Vizik arced his brow and leaned forward as if trying to make the loud conversation more private.

"The Human killed both Mordiggian and Ithaqua."

"Thomas killed them?!" Tuilene accidentally blurted out. "How?!"

"Tuilene, stay calm," her mother chastised her. "It is unwomanly to have outbursts like that."

"Sorry, mother." Tuilene straightened herself in her seat.

The news was still surprising to her. She knew that Thomas and his companions were powerful, but to kill one of Hastur's generals and his own son. It's unbelievable. Unthinkable. It must be true considering the reward. A hundred platinum coins is enough to create a small kingdom.

"It is essential that we be the ones to claim his death," Vizik declared. "The Human's death and the death of his fellow heretics would guarantee our family's position for eons. I will send some of our top assassins to deal with this Human."

"A brilliant plan, father," Dellik said.

"Indeed," Daed concurred. "Truly our father is a genius leader."

'Mindless sycophants,' Tuilene thought.

Tuilene knew that her two brothers were in competition to replace their father as king of the Zokot Kingdom. They disgusted her. Her whole family sickened her. Any love she might have had for them died when she was at a young age. An age when she was curious and asked a lot of questions. A question she asked often was about her Status. Specifically her Titles.

"What does the Unknown Title mean?" she would ask her parents.

Since her parents could not see the Title, they assumed she was lying. She was punished every time she brought it up. Isolation. Sometimes lashings with a thumb-thick stick. Each time, she grew to hate her parents more. Eventually she stopped asking any questions and her love for them died. The people who sat at the table with her weren't family. They're strangers. Enemies.

Upon hearing that her father planned to send assassins after Thomas, she knew that she would have to step up her plans.