2122 for Hero's War

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Clatter clatter bump.
Cato watched Landar sigh up at the sky as the cart rolled onward.
"It doesn't feel like we're on an expedition," Cato muttered.
"Mmm..." Landar shrugged.
Bump clatter.
All around them, the slow but continuous footsteps of the column of Guards and Iris retainers continued the march northwards. The Iris group however had their own carts and carriages, along with servants to keep the rekis in line.
It would be a scene of aristocratic luxury if not for the fact that each of those Iris servants were also lower ranking clan members and were able to use summoning stones in their own right.
"Why not have some tea to pass the time?"
The gentle voice drew no reaction from either of them. After all, Cato had been hearing Landar's mother trying to fuss over her every day since they left the Iris compound. Even he had given up reacting to each and every one of her attempts to get Landar to talk to her father.
It did not help that Yan insisted on continuing his training even during the travel. Even now, Yan was sitting in a large basin of water with an Iris servant keeping him wet.
Cato looked up at the cart immediately behind his and saw the bare chested figure of Landar's father. The stream of water dripping onto his back was blown off in clouds of condensation by cold air fans that kept his lethal overcharge fever to a comfortable level. And even Cato's vague undeveloped magic sense could feel the power from the massive enchanted iron plate Yan was sitting on, slowly drawn up into the Iris patriach to maintain the overcharge.
Yup, still at it. The glow of light dancing under his skin was also another product of the investigations and charting of training methods. While not as revolutionary as the overcharge training, it was found that performing the Light creating training within the body improved the rate of power gain by as much as twenty percent. Kupo had suggested as much when she hypothesized that the Light creating training was forcing the body to concentrate magical energy into a smaller amount of magic density, effectively forcing the magic into a higher energy state. Performing the training inside the body increased the amount of flesh exposed to the high energy level. Kupo was more concerned by the direct confirmation of magic energy generation being linked to bits of the body, but the Iris were all over the increased training efficiency.
As might be expected, Kupo and the bunch from Pastora attached to the expedition as doctors were keenly observing the training. This time, they were trying out simultaneous overcharge, Light creation and magical control training all at once. It needed constant meditative focus and an external power supply to keep the overcharge while the trainee's magic was in use, but the time saving of a continuous training method that also worked to improve casting speed was something the Iris really liked, no matter how impractical.
Cato wished he could do something like that just to pass the time. Being on expedition was mostly very boring while he rode or walked from place to place.
Once Landar and Cato had run through the notes and finished writing most of the 'software' for the second generation magic circle, they had sent the notes and diagrams back to Minmay using Ka. Ka could not transport the completed prototype back however, so they would have to wait for weeks to be able to progress further.
Landar's mother spent her time preparing food and chatting to the clan people. Yan filled his time with training.
Landar sighed again and sipped at the cup that her mother pressed into her hands.
"Ah, I wish I could use the rockets as fireworks," she muttered.
Cato pretended not to hear that.

The sandy hills eventually revealed the clump of zombies Enay was leading them towards. The zombies were up and moving again, this time towards Kobel now that his group was close enough to attract the zombies away from the main army. Meanwhile Kobel's group had ridden for hours, they and their rekis were tired and only the crest of the hill was blocking them from being harassed by light beams.
"Darn those zombies," Kobel cursed. It seemed the new light beam behaviour had spread to every group now, they no longer wasted their shots against the side of a convenient hill or trench. Which meant that if Kobel's group tried to charge, the one shooter that was present would start killing people, and they couldn't even wait for the beam to be charging before popping up to fire back.
He deeply regretted bringing only three portable mist shields and no knights who could cast one.
Kobel glanced over the rest of his platoon, thirty humans and fukas combined, all of them looking to him for instructions.
"Enay, use a shield and take a look over the crest. I need to know how close they are. The rest of you, ready bayonets and grenades. "
The zombies were getting closer and trading shots at long range would only cause casualties. The other scouting bands had found out the hard way that zombie shooters were now about as accurate as a Model 2 and in fact out ranged bowguns entirely. The new model gun, now also called the Model 1, was on par with zombie light beams for accuracy and zombies were far tougher to bullets than humans were to burning. Fuka Ems were also no defence.
Better to use the crest and take the zombies in melee. With luck, the shooter wouldn't get more than a single shot off.
Enay readied the open frame of metal in the shape of a shield, turning the surface into a shimmering waterfall of Mist magical material. Thus protected, he pushed the shield over the edge of the crest and peeked around the side.
"They're charging. " Kobel nodded at the report, the slapping sound of feet on sandy ground was quite telling. "They'll be here in half a minute at most. "
"Keep an eye out. All right, bring up the rekis too. "
At his command, each of the riders whistled to their rekis. Smart as the mounts were, they understood the signal for ambush. The rekis rushed up to their human partners and crouched beside the scouts in a line. The soft growls and bared teeth signaled their readiness to fight alongside their human masters.
"Set guns to inertia. " The order drew questioning looks but they obeyed. Inertia enchanted bullets were ridiculously deadly but didn't work against the zombie's black mist. And a squad that had a shooter also had that protection.
Enay's shield flashed once as the shooter discharged a shot in his direction. Save for a flinch, Kobel's scout was unharmed. "Here in 5," Enay said, scrambling back towards the line.
"Grenades, number one!" Kobel shouted and six fire shells lobbed over the crest. There was a gout of flame shooting upwards. "Ready, fire as they come!"
Then first zombies, still on fire, crested the hill and immediately blew apart as most of the squad sent bullets their way. Like Kobel had hoped, the black mist surrounding the zombies was busy dealing with the fire and the inertia bullets tore into them viciously.
"Charge!"
And the whole squad, glinting bayonets in hand and war cries on their lips, went forwards the short few meters to the top of the hill. Ahead of them was the rekis, yelps of excitement as they charged ahead of the humans and fukas. Right on time into the zombies coming up behind the first doomed line. The zombie shooter fired once, the lead reki's head exploding into a shower of boiling blood and gore. Then they were into a whirlwind of tooth and steel against deathly strength.
Kobel slashed, stabbed and kicked with a fury, the one Em he knew lending his arms strength enough to punch his bayonet clean through his target's chest. The zombie reki snapped at him but the long metal barrel of his gun kept the impaled zombie away. With a bang, his loaded bullet blew its head off and Kobel whirled to block another zombie's grasping hands with the gun. He didn't get to retaliate, his trusty mount bowled it over with a bark and tore the human zombie in half with its hindlegs.
In a few seconds, the melee was over. Scattered around were chunks of zombies, already being tossed and kicked into the burning pyres of living fire splattered on the down slope. Kobel panted, letting the Em drain away from his arms. The last of the zombies went under a pile of rekis, torn to shreds mercilessly.
A quick mental headcount put them at light losses. Apart from the one reki mount, there were no deaths and only three casualties with recoverable injuries. For even numbers, this was very good.
Scratch one for the living.

Landar ran a hand over the rocket body. Steel rolled into a cylinder, tipped with a short cone and sprouting stubby fins at the base. Oiled to prevent rust. A nozzle at the bottom built to incredible precision, fins aligned precisely, the incendiary rocket was a culmination of Minmay's technological achievements. The requirements for making a reliable rocket weapon had needed the rocket team to recreate micrometer gauges and microgram measurements.
The idea that differences smaller than the eye could see made a huge difference in the flight of the rocket was almost revolutionary. Vernier scales had been considered the be-all and end-all of length measurements, more precision than anyone could ever need.
Oh, how naive everyone was!
These rockets made to micrometer precision still had an inaccuracy of a hundred meters at their maximum range. Able to fly three kilometers, these weapons would be able to strike the enemy without worry of retaliation.
And today, she would have the chance to prove its worth.
The observation balloon floated high above the battlefield, signalling the position of the zombie group. Despite the continuous sorties to cut down enemy numbers, by the time the shoes had arrived, the zombies had managed to gather a large group of over a thousand and were collecting more.
"Range estimated 2.4 kilometers," read the signaller from the balloon's flags, "elevation down 40 meters. "
The alchemist behind Landar scratched at his paper, running through the calculations to get the calibrated settings for the launchers. "Elevation 4.6 and wind..." he glanced at the windsock, "make that half a mark east. "
Landar watched the alchemists make the adjustments. Elevation screws were turned to the appropriate mark and the alignment dials moved with care. The rows of rockets sitting in their metal brackets beheld the future of all weaponry.
"Fire one!" she shouted when the adjustments were made. The fuse was struck and one rocket screamed off into the sky.
Behind them, the watching crowd of Guards and commanders jumped. It was a sound no one had ever heard before, an ear-blasting roar that quickly dropped in pitch as the rocket sailed away faster and faster. A quirk of the last design had given the rocket a distinctive sound that was unexpected but not unpleasant.
It sounded like victory. A streak of fire and smoke drawn into the blue heavens with her deadly brush.
There was a distant bang and a plume of red flame in the distance. The spotter in the balloon waved a flag.
"On target," said the signaller.
That's what she wanted to hear! "Fire all!" Landar cried, throwing out an arm grandly. If they thought the one rocket's roar was surpri-
Landar shielded her eyes with a hand. Heat from the rockets' red glare caressed her face, the smoky smell of rocket fuel, an unending chorus of descending screams. Each one a flaming arrow heralding a rain of steel and fire. An orgy of power and destruction soared from her grasping hand. No speech was possible over the din of the rockets.
It was over all too soon. The wails of rockets died away, to be replaced with a pattering of bangs like rain on a metal roof. Next to the intimidating column of smoke that was the result of the rocket launch, the distant sounds of the target had much less impact. Even though anyone would prefer to be on this end of the rockets.
A lopsided grin plastered on her face that didn't want to go away, Landar turned around to the speechless observers.
"How about that?" she said.
No one had anything to say. Perfect.