The Mechanical Era

In a relatively small city located near the border to the north, a crowd of people, most of who worked at the docks, watched as a large ship entered the harbor. Once it is docked, men wearing long-sleeved blue uniforms with beige breeches and calfskin boots walk down the bridge. Some held their muskets while others carried wooden crates to put them into the caravans.

Other than the musketeers, there were the knights, all clad in their runic suits of armor which gives them immense power over normal users. As they drop down, one of them, an average-looking man wearing some old and dirty hemp clothes, counted the men present in his head.

He counted 65 soldiers, and 10 knights, all from the city of Vallina. He and the rest of the men suspected it was a garrison force. However, it might take a lot more to properly garrison the city.

What was most concerning though, were the others. He managed to count 215 other people leaving the ship, not fitting the category of a musketeer or knight. They clearly looked to be peasants, but they wore those beige pants that the soldiers were wearing. The man suspected it was an identifier, for them to know who is and isn't with them.

Eventually, 3 of the soldiers, all holding their muskets with a lit fuse, approached the group and told them to scram. The men, knowing the power the weapons wield, are all left without resistance. One of them, the man who had counted, instead of going back to do his work at the docks, immediately went a bit further away, to relay the information he gathered to another average-looking man.

"Thank you for the information. You can go back to work. I will take it from here." he replied. With that, the man disappeared into the shadows, while the guy who counted went about his day as if nothing had happened.

...

Carson, along with his friend Herrold, finally arrived in the small city they were assigned to. According to the queen, they were to protect their citizens from harm and maintain order. The announcement of the garrison was made just after the declaration of the Aceaton Empire. Of the 40,000 soldiers that were left alive after the war, about 32,000 of them were chosen for a new task.

Their task was simple. The first was to garrison the areas that might pose the most resistance. The second was to recruit and train peasants from other cities, as 32,000 people might not be enough to cover half a continent.

Rose's idea was to take peasants from the urban cities, split them up, and concentrate them in the army. For every 1 musketeer who came from anywhere across the continent, there were to be 1.25 musketeers from the city of Vallina. This allowed the garrison force to only consist of 32,000 soldiers, to 57,600 soldiers.

Of course, she didn't have enough gunpowder or guns to train all the soldiers, but she didn't have to. For the month, she could have them disciplined, to be made into the perfect soldier, while her smiths in the city, as well as Hoverdam, expand their production capabilities. Until then, she will make sure to stockpile them.

To get the soldiers to accept, Rose promised them to hand over a plot of land anywhere they want. The men who fought in the war to take down the north were also promised that they would receive a bigger piece of land.

Once Carson and Herrold both heard of the opportunity, they were rather excited. During the war, they were amazed by the beauty nature had to offer, and even wished to own a plot of land in an area like this. Now, it was becoming a reality. A lot of others had similar reactions, although many were reluctant to leave their homes. Regardless, they eventually accepted and boarded the ships on the 4th of Pecunia.

Carson and Herrold soon both walked down the stairs, holding their matchlocks by their arms. Carson took a deep breath of fresh air and looked at the beautiful forest on the other side of the river. They felt bliss looking at the landscape, rather than the cold stone buildings of the city.

Once all the cargo was unloaded, the soldiers started to march through the city, guarding the caravans. Although the main city roads were paved with cobblestone, there was still a lot of greenery around. The buildings were made primarily of wood, with hay roofs on top, with stone buildings being a rare sight.

If there was something that was truly unique about the city, it was the smell. Like the city of Vallina, there was the stench of human excrement, urine, and rotting animal entrails, mixed in with a little smoke from woodfires, the baking bread, and the grilling of meat obtained from hunting. However, the smell of feces and urine was stronger and continued to get stronger as they entered the downtown.

"Damn, is it going to smell like this all the time?" Carson muttered, who had experienced a disadvantage a city like this offered.

"Don't know. Let's hope not." Herrold replied. The army soon approached a gate, made out of metal bars, painted black. It was behind a large wall, protecting what appears to be a few buildings inside. On each corner of the wall, there was a tall tower with an area for someone to station; guard towers. On each corner of the wall, there was a tall tower with an area for someone to station; guard towers.

The gate soon opened, and the soldiers marched inside. Inside the area, the smell had mostly disappeared. The men all thanked the walls, which protected the area. There were three buildings present in total, 2 stationed vertically on the left and right, with the first one on the opposing end of the gate, built horizontally.

The buildings were tall, with each possessing 5 stories. They were all made of gray stone bricks, wooden roofs and windows, and probably planked floors. On the roofs, there was a chimney in the middle of the roof. Between the bricks, Carson can see some kind of grayish stone, holding them together. In the middle of it all, there was a nice grass field, with a small tree in the center.

The soldiers soon stopped marching and turned to face their commander in an orderly fashion. The garrison force was led by none other than Leroy Herway. Although he was supposed to be stationed in a larger city, upon seeing the strategic location of the area, and the generally good road connections to his other forces on the map, he asked permission to be stationed here.

"Listen up men! From now on, this is where you will all be sleeping, eating, and training from now on. On your left is where you will all be sleeping. There are enough beds for all 275 of you. The knights will sleep on the top floor, while the musketeers get to occupy the 4th and 3rd floors. As for the rest of you, you get to the rest of the beds.

At your front, is where you will be eating. It is where the cafeteria is located, where you all will gather around and eat the food handed out to you, made by local chefs we have hired. You will eat it, and you will like it!

To your right, is where you will store your weapons ammunition, and gunpowder. Make sure you empty your barrels of its bullets and gunpowder before you place your guns down. We do not want the building to explode."

Leroy continued on explaining what else there was to the base, especially where they excreted any bodily waste. As a part of the instructions, they were given a new routine. The men were to get up every morning of every day, at sunrise, and get to bed at sunset.

They appointed 4 men to be on guard duty, before sending them to the left barracks after they were placed their guns in the armory. Inside, they found wooden beds with hay mattresses and pillows, all 20 inches apart. On the foot end of the bed, there was a chest the soldiers use to put their clothes in.

Caron and Herrold managed to get a bed right next to each other on the fourth floor, with a window by their side. They can both look out the window and see the rather pleasant rural city. A view the soldiers could never get tired of. Carson, after taking off his shirt and boots, lay on his bed. Making the most of his free time given to him, before they head back to training.

He thinks back to the past, where he used to be an average man living in the city, now a 'veteran' soldier who had managed to rack up a few kills. Although he may feel guilt in killing, there was a sense of pride, believing that he did the right thing.