THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"The war Is going with more intensity than we thought." Eduard introduces the topic at hand. It must be what the report he is holding is explaining. "Currently, our troops are engaging the Titanium's army and the Longinus in Obarion."

"One of the major city already? You guys work fast."

"Major cities?" What is Hendrick talking about?

"You do know that Titanium doesn't have a capital, right?" 

"Ah, yeah.  I remember. It is instead in four major cities, right?" 

"Three now. Nargil got vaporized to nothingness after all."

"Right." Almost forgot I did it for a moment there. "So, that's our next destination?"

I look at Eduard and of answering directly, he takes something out of a pouch on the table and brings it out. It is shining weirdly. A grey sort of light. A crystal. What kind of energy is contained inside right now for it to shine like that?

"This is the reason you are going there."

"A crystal? We are hunting Longinus?"

"No, Hendrick, look closely. The way this thing is shining. It is weird." I don't know what they have done to it but it is really weird

"This is a crystal we have extracted from one of the containers we have discovered in Oregon. Although we aren't a hundred percent sure. It would seem that what is inside is…life."

"Life?" 

Hendrick stands up at those words and goes over to Eduard. He looks closely at the crystal and even try to grab it. Only for Eduard to put it back inside the pouch.

"Yes. At least, we believe it is related to it. Our agents have discovered a potential research facility in the fort defending Obarion. Therefore, your new orders are to help capture that fort as fast as possible."

"And when do we leave?"

"The siege on the fort and the city has started two days ago so we should move out today."

"Got it, I will get ready then."

"Good. We will discuss the objective and the strategy before leaving."

***

After an hour of preparation, we are all assembled outside the hut, Willhem looks especially fidgety with a gigantic smile on his face. He looks like a child who can't wait to play with his new toy.

Eduard is in front of us, together with the captain who brought the eternal army's troops into Oregon. The guy keeps staring at me with a mean look.

'To think a mere slave like him got away after insulting Sir William. How prospeterous!'

So this guy is William's follower, huh. Well, too bad for him to be stuck with me then.

"Concerning your new assignment-"

"Cut to the chase, old man! We want to go already!"

Eduard tries to explain something but gets shot off by the guys. They are really eager to go. The captain next to him advances and puts his hand on his sword with a menacing look.

"Listen well, you scums! From now on, you all are under my command. You will listen to my orders and do my bidding! Or else…" he clenches the handle and the tension increases instantly.

Is he seriously provoking us? No matter how I look at him, he isn't stronger than any of us here. Rapidly, Eduard places his hand on his shoulder and walk in front of him with a worried face.

"What he meant to say was that your pay will be decided by the degree of efforts you will make during the siege. And those efforts will be judged by him."

Eduard tries to calm the captain down but on our side, there are angry people as well.

"Hey, old man. Didn't you say there weren't going to be shit like this?"

"It's true. You said we wouldn't have to answer to any of you douchebags as long as we did what we were asked."

"What did you call me?!!"

The tension still rises and you can feel the desire to fight emanating from people. It seems that captain really want to die.

"Enough." Surprisingly enough, Willhem is the one to put an end to all this.

"But-"

"I said enough. Old man, what is the wage for this mission."

"Oh so ever greedy. That's why mercenaries never last long."

"Old man?" Willhem doesn't even mind the guy's comment and just focus on Eduard. That's some awesome self-restraint for somebody who only want to kill as much as he can.

"You guys' wage is 1500 wellis per hour for the first week of the siege. Then 500 unntil the end of it."

"Make it 4500 and we are in."

"What?!! Thrice your wage?!! Are you out of your mind?!!! Other mercenaries don't even get half of that!!" This time, it is my time to get angry at the captain. My Raizen appears on his neck before anybody else can move.

"This is the last time you open your mouth in this conversation." 

"You-" My script touching lightly his chin seems to convinced him. Finally, some peace and quiet.

"Good. Now, old man, what do you say?"

"Fuu…I can only agree to 3500 per hour. And it will be for the first five days."

"Deal."

Willhem turns around at that and they all follow him. We are good to go now normally.

"You scum..." The captain makes a comment as I remove my raizen from his chin but I don't mind him. For now.

***

After being teleported, the first thing I hear is an explosion. Almost the same kind as when Excia's arrows hit something. Though the sound indicates a stronger explosion.

"Are the heroes here as well?"

I look at Eduard but he shakes his head in disagreement.

"If the heores were here, there would be no need for you rats."

"Right."

This captain is really trying to get himself killed. We are in a forest where the eternal army has built their camp. There are tents all around and I see people transporting wounded people to some of them. There are also soldiers sitting around in cercles, discussing happily. 

"The mood here is a bit different, I guess."

"You think?" Willhem places his hand on my shoulder while looking at one group of soldiers. "Don't you see those are fake smiles?"

I look closely at that group and indeed, they don't look that happy.

"Oh, well. It's not our problem, right?"

"Exactly."

We walk inside the camp, following Eduard. I can feel the gaze of the soldiers on K'nor. He must look especially beautiful with his armor on.

"We reach a biggest tent which is at the center of the camp and while Eduard and the captain goes inside, we wait.

"Goddammit! Can't they hurry up?! We are going to miss the action." The explosions' sounds are still going at a regular pace while Willhem complains.

"Those sounds, what are they?" 

"What? The mortars?" 

"Mortars?" 

"You never saw one before? Ah, you poor guy. You see-"

Before he can explain what a mortar is, an explosion resounds near the camp. Immediately soldiers come out from the tents, some of them already geared up while others are only holding their weapons.

I look at Willhem and his smile is the only answer I get. We all run to the location of the explosion. After jumping through the barrier of the camp and running some more, we find Longinus men coming in our direction. There is a Longinus Prator with them as well.

Our group was surprisingly the first one to arrive. I thought those soldiers would be faster but I was wrong. 

"I will take care of the prator." Without further explanations. I fly above the group of Longinus men and continue to my prey. There is about thirty men with the prator so it is a moderate group, I think. 

"Krieekk!"

Some of them are holding bows and crossbows and start shooting at me but my sphere cancels everything. I arrive above the prator and fall on him with a greeting of three crescent bullets.

"Krieek!!" It raises his arms full of claws to block them but the explosion of the bullets sever one of them. With my raizen, I strike the other one but, although it enters deep enough, I don't manage to cut it.

"Kriekk!!" Yeah, sorry. I will put you out of your misery. 

I arm four more bullets and while it tries to shake me off from its arm. I blow up his head. The prator's body falls to the ground with a loud and heavy sound then scatters to ashes, leaving three crystals behind.

Almost at the same time, arrows restart pouring on me. Looking behind, I see the Longinus men shooting at me without a care for K'nor who is destroying them with wind balls or the others who are engaging them ferociously.

"Am I some kind of target's practice for them?"

"Ahahaha!!"

The guys are laughing their lungs out while fighting, however. There is only thing that would come to your mind seeing this…

"You guys were born for this." 

Some time later, the soldiers arrive, walking nonchalantly. Since we have tided up everything here, they continue and get past us like we don't exist. The source of the explosion being further ahead, I guess that's where they are going.

"Those mortars are really loud."