Eclipse - Special Operations in Another World

Episode 6

Contact! Left side!"

"Yeah!"

"Damn! Killjoy's shot!"

"Feel this jerk!"

"They..."

"At least they are better than my nephew who always cries because he is not bought a new smartphone...."

"RPG!"

I immediately opened both eyes while breathing heavily. My entire body was soaked in sweat, like I had already run dozens of kilometers. Nightmare...again?

Damnit damnit! Can I sleep one night quietly without having to be attacked by nightmares?!

Well, at least I woke up at 7am, according to my natural alarm. I sat on the bedside, rubbing my slightly twitching eyes. I stood up and went to the window. I opened the window, feeling the cool morning air fill the space. I saw enough people coming out to work. Whether it's for business, just a walk, or going hunting. As I was looking down my radio sounded.

"GRE.2, this is Mar...Commandos. Lapo..an situation!" Said someone behind the transmission. It was probably Colonel Suzuki. I couldn't hear clearly because of the intermittent signal.

I rushed to pick it up and put the headset on, because I didn't want to disturb Jeanne who was asleep.

"Headquarters Commando, this is GREEN 2. We have been in contact with the locals. Most of them were humans, yet there were some fantasy creatures like Elves, Ogres, Half-beast Humans, and others. You can ask other units if you think our Intel is just bullshit."

I took off the answer button, trying to remember what I wanted to say. I looked at the sleeping Jeanne and immediately replied.

"For the record, one of the members of the local law enforcement forces is willing to cooperate with us. If it is ruled, we can use it to make direct contact with the government here. How, change?"

"Understand GREEN 2, ka..permissible.to make a deal with. For a while, you.became the representative of Japan.until we can send. Continue..nak!"

After the Colonel cut off communication, I rushed to the dressing room to get a wet towel to wash my face. I don't need a shower.I'm not that nice, am I? Besides, I don't know how medieval people bathed. No showers or anything like that.

After returning to pick up my things, I glanced towards the knight girl who was still sound asleep. It seems like he was having a beautiful dream. Her lips held a smile.

I took out a piece of paper and a pen from the backpack. I wrote that I was going to go see my friends and asked him to wait in front of the inn.

I put the paper on the sleeping table and put on my uniform and combat equipment, then left the room.

Feeling too much attention with this uniform, I decided to go to the hunting gear stall at a nearby market to buy a leather coat with a hood. Where do I get the money? On the streets of the market was very crowded, I had to jostle. 'accidentally' my hand reached into a man's pocket without being caught. Maybe he'll realize it later, when I'm gone from this town.

I put on the robe I just bought and covered my head with a veil. His backpack makes me look like a hunchback, but it's better than being glared at for a second

"Ugggh!"

"Yeah!"

Suddenly someone hit me from the front and knocked us to the ground.

"Addicted..." I got up on my knees and saw a blond girl fall right in front. He wears a leather coat that's almost the same as mine, but to my surprise he has pointy ears like an Elf, or maybe he's an Elf. The girl stroked her buttocks while grimacing in pain.

"You okay?" I asked while extending my hand. This girl grabbed my hand and I pulled her to get up.

"Um, yes..."

"That's it..." I nodded and patted her shoulder. "Other times, be careful when walking" I said before walking towards the crowd.

"T-t-wait!" I can hear him calling out to me, but I've entered the sea of men and moved away from him. It would be troublesome if I had to interact longer with strangers here.

Finally after how many minutes of walking and looking for directions, I arrived at the center of Darf. This place is also quite crowded even though it is not as crowded as the market. There is a fountain with a statue of a knight in the middle - Wait a minute, it is not a knight like Jeanne's men yesterday, but..samurai? He carried a Naginata* and wore a kimono behind an unbuttoned coat...The most astounding thing was that the ears on his head were fox-shaped and he had 3 tails. Is it possible in this world there are also Samurai?

I saw two people sitting on the side of the fountain. They both wore leather robes that covered their entire bodies, just like me. Even though I can't see them clearly, I'm sure they're Blade and Muse.

Without thinking I approached them. I was sitting next to one of them who was smoking a cigar. "The weather's clean, huh?" I said while paying attention to a part of her face covered in a veil.

He looked at my face and answered. "I stepped on a nail."

"All right, I get it..." Same voice, same face, and correct counter-sign answer. He is Blade.

"Where to from? You're 2 minutes late, "If you're wondering why being 2 minutes late can be a problem, it's because it's military. There is no tolerance in the military. Because if there is a battle and the fast reaction forces are too late even if only 2 minutes, most likely the lives of the troops they will save will not be helped. That's why time is so important.

"I'm sorry, some troublesome things happened," I replied. The SAS Captain then threw a parcel at me. After I opened it, it was a round loaf of bread that was the size of an adult hand. "Thank you" I answered before I began to eat the bread. The texture is quite hard and tough, but quite tasty. Especially with the cream in it.

"Hei Wand, where's your waifu you told me about yesterday?" I had expected that Wibu Master Muse onii-chan would question me about this.

"I asked him to wait for me at the inn. It is likely that he is still there, "I replied again before chewing on the bread again.

Muse smirked after answering my question. "Oho, so you two have-"

"You're nanya again, I cut you..." Threaten me even though I can't actually slit my childhood friend. At least that threat can silence the mouth of the comber and give me time to devour my bread.

After seeing me swallow the last piece, Blade dropped his cigar and extinguished it with his foot. "It's over?" I'm nodding. The three of us got up and walked with me towards the inn where I was staying last night.

"Wand! Come here!" Behind the crowd, I saw Jeanne standing near the front door of the inn waving her hands. He had already carried the luggage in the sling bag on his back.

"Jeanne," I greeted back as I walked towards her. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Jeanne smiled sweetly at me like before. I will never get tired of seeing that smile. "Hehe, it's okay. So they...your friends?"

"Include me, this is our group leader Blade," I said as I looked towards Blade. Our commander just nodded slowly. "And the other one is my friend, Muse."

Jeanne nervously stood up straight and looked at us. "N-my name is Jeanne Pitts!

Please cooperate!"

Blade smiled and extended his hand. Both fighters of rank - the same possibility also shook hands. "Please cooperate with Miss Pitts as well. By the way, I want to talk to you about something while walking."

"Good."

"Fufufu, just relax, don't be too formal."

"Good, Captain...Blade, right?"

While the two commanders were talking to each other, Muse looked at Jeanne with some curiosity. "Don't he-"

"'Don't-don't he' what?" My question got him out of the daydream. The Young Lieutenant sighed slowly.

"Ah, no. I don't know why I remember Grandpa's story about his brother. Her brother disappeared while parachuting to Normandy in Operation Overlord. His body was never found. He loved collecting rifles like that" he replied, pointing at the rifle on the knight's back.

It just makes me more curious. There are so many points that can be connected into a pattern.

"Is he from the 101st Linud Division?"

"Yup," Well, shit.

I scratched my non-itchy neck, thinking of plugging in all the information I got. "real right...Maybe that girl is indeed your distant brother..."

"Don't be hard bego!" I warned him in a half-screaming tone, causing Muse to flinch and instantly shut his mouth. "Sooner or later we'll know..." The Navy SEAL members just lowered their heads slowly.

We followed Jeanne and Blade, who were talking, through a crowd of people on the street in the morning.

*****

After a few minutes of walking to the east gate of the city, we came across a train driven by a farmer. Since there was no other vehicle, we hitchhiked with it. It just so happened that our destination was close together.

Blade and Jeanne sat in the front seat with the farmer who was riding a horse. Muse and I sat in a back wagon filled with sacks of animal feed while humming the song ‘King of the Road’ by Roger Miller and enjoying the view of the vast expanse of rice fields.

Trailer for sale or rent

Rooms to let, fifty cents

No phone, no pool, no pets

I ain't got no cigarettes

Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom

Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room

I'm a man of means by no means.king of the road!

After finishing the song, our captain gave a lazy applause. On the way quite a lot of shaking because the road is still made of soil and the Government does not seem to care so much about the hollow road. Even so I enjoy all this. Fertile clumps and rice fields, very blue skies, and the smell of cool and fresh air without any pollution.

I saw in the paddy fields there were some young girls harvesting. Some of them have ears like rabbits. Of course, the Wibu class acute must have reacted.

"Holyshit! Wand look! Rabbit girl!"

Muse immediately stood up and waved at them. The girls timidly replied to Muse's wishes. He smiled with satisfaction.

"Damn man, I must be dreaming!"

Suddenly, I slapped the back of his head. "Away awake?"

"What does that mean?!"

"Hey, you guys in the back shut up!" Blade shouted from the front seat. Since the orders of the superiors were absolute, we were forced to remain silent. "I'm sorry for the commotion my men have made, sir."

"Hehe, it's okay, sir. I was happy because there was entertainment" replied the farmer, laughing.

"By the way, are you sure you're going through the Tenebris Forest?"

Blade stared back at the street in front and answered the farmer's question. "That's the fastest way to the capital right?"

The farmer nodded with a smile, although anxiety was reflected on his face.

"Yes right, but the place is quite dangerous. Many A-class monsters roamed around. Most people, even experienced adventurers would definitely prefer another safer route although it can be up to 3 weeks more."

"Not to worry sir. We know what we're dealing with. Besides, we brought a beautiful and very reliable guide."

The Captain chuckled while glancing towards the girl next to him. Jeanne's cheeks were blushing as the Captain praised her.

"What's up, Miss Pitts? Don't you want to be teased by this Gentleman from England?"

"K-k-captain Blade!" Jeanne replied with a blushing face. Blade laughed in satisfaction while the farmer chuckled in confusion.

I just resisted the urge to throw my shoes, like the Iranian journalist who used to throw shoes at President Bush, while Muse grumbled

"Basar keladi elders."

A few seconds into the silence, Muse returns to singing to relieve his boredom.

I'm in love with the shape of you!

.....

"I forgot the lyrics, hahaha..."

"It's funny, I forgot to laugh" I commented sarcastically. Muse stopped grinning and pointed his middle finger at me.

*****

A few minutes - or hours?- later, we arrived at a farm where the farmer lived. It is located in a small village not far from Darf City. Muse and I helped lower the cart while Jeanne and Blade shook hands with the farmer. Why do we always do the work of the workers? Huh, sometimes reality is not as beautiful as expectations.

"Thank you for the ride, sir" said Jeanne, shaking her hand. The farmer returned his smile.

"Together, ladies, gentlemen. Be careful on the road!"

After saying goodbye, we left the farm and walked east, following the streets. The trip to the Tenebris Forest is quite smooth even though the sun is very stinging. Not to mention I carry a weight half times my weight. My back and legs are killing me. But I should be able to hold it for the sake of duty.

Along the way I told Muse about various things while Jeanne and Blade in front looked for a way. Sometimes the SAS Captain gets into our conversations if he understands anything. Unfortunately, Jeanne didn't understand what we were talking about. I'm sure he doesn't know what Football, Coldplay, Hustler, Jojo, and so on. In the middle of the journey, the girl stopped stepping and exclaimed.

"That's it!"

Jeanne sped up. The three of us stopped our conversation and ran after him. We stopped a few miles from our destination.

"Tenebris Forest..." I stared at a very dense wilderness from where the path led. Seeing the forest from far away makes the fur goosebumps. Many tree trunks have creepy shapes. The color of the trunk is darker than that of a regular tree, adding an impression of 'darkness'. The strange forest I landed in looked like a city park when compared to this forest.

Speaking of darkness, I remembered something in the language lessons at Narashino Camp. Due to the nature of the Special Forces that could be deployed around the world, I mastered several languages such as Japanese, English, a bit of Arabic, Russian, and Latin. Before I go any further, I'll tell you one thing.

Tenebris means darkness in Latin.

I glanced at our Commander who was staring flat at the forest, as if fearlessly.

"Alright, take out your gear," Blade removed his leather cape. He was wearing almost the same clothes as me, only the striped motif he was wearing was MultiCam. Unlike the Flecktarn-ku, MultiCam motif is formed from light brown and light green so it is suitable for use in any terrain, be it desert, forest, or others.

"So we're going to fight monsters" asked Muse while removing his robe as well. Muse also wore a different uniform from the two of us. The uniform motif is AOR-2 patterned with digital boxes in a mixture of green, light green, black, and white. I also saw one M72 rocket launcher tube on its back. The tube has been modified so it can be refilled.

"Looks," I put my cape in a backpack and cocked a rifle. Monsters could appear at any time, so it was better to use a rifle that could react quickly. I turned to Muse while smiling 'sweet'. "Have you guys been*has never fought a monster?"

"Ugghhhh, today I have to use my Mark 18," Muse stuffed his cape into a backpack. "I got to say it was a GOOD day*,"

Hearing Muse's grunt, Blade turned to look at him.

"What is Ice Cube?"

The Blade carries the G36C, a short variant of the German-made G36 rifle. The shape is like a square shaped like an assault rifle with rails to install binoculars apart from its barrel. It is installed a small glass-shaped binoculars containing a red laser point or red dot sight on the top and also a triangular front handle.

The Young Lieutenant nodded. "Yep, it's just supposed to be AK rather than Mark 18," He held up the Mk18 Close Quarter Battle Receiver rifle, which he was carrying, a short-sized assault rifle from the base of the M4A1 which is a rifle used by most soldiers in the world. Due to its short size, this rifle is perfect for narrow indoor combat. The top of the rifle was paired with round-shaped binoculars or ACOG. Before leaving for this world, Muse had repainted the rifle in light green.

"Who are you?" Jeanne asked after she checked back the luggage in her sling bag.

"Ready," Blade replied as he cocked his rifle together with me. The four of us stared at the Tenebris Forest, the haunted forest and one of the most dangerous hunting grounds in Finia. Unfortunately, I've been to a place more sinister than this...

Muse grinned with great excitement.

"Time to action!"