A large crowd gathered in a building. Today is an important day. Today is the day we memorialize the Wolf, who left the mortal world after a cowardly attempt to take his life. Bastards weren't brave enough to fight him head-on, so they used a bombing attack. What a scummy move!
But who am I to blame them? I wouldn't want to fight against Captain Erwin, either. The legend is a legend for a reason. And I am just a retired soldier who was lucky enough to fight alongside him, now nothing but a shell of my former self. I hardly believe I once stood next to him, maybe not as equals, but as a soldier in his command.
Now I cannot even go out and say my last goodbyes to his casket. I am just sitting inside a room hidden from sight inside the building where his remnants are currently staying, drinking this cheap drink until I blackout myself from the alcohol.
I took a sip from the bottle. "And people said the legend was immortal, they said he never lost a battle, and I believed them because I saw him, I saw a man even the war machines trembled against, now, he is dead, he doesn't even have a body left for us to give one last look." I took another sip.
While I was busy sobering, someone suddenly opened the room, and light from the ceiling lights rushed inside. My eyes got dazzled by the lights illuminating the room. "Close that shit. Can't you see I am busy here?" I tried to hide the drink, but it slipped out of my hand and slipped to the floor. "Shit."
"Roland? Son of a bitch, what are you doing here." Oh great, it is Pechman, he is wearing a black suit, like me, but his isn't messy and stained with alcohol. He entered the room and opened the lights. "And as I thought you weren't here. But let me tell you that you are leaving some mark behind yourself."
"Pechman the Bloodhound! No surprise it is you who found me of all people in our group." I grabbed the bottle from the ground. "Come, your drink is from me."
He moved closer and sat next to me. "I'll pass for today, but shit, you look like a dumpster on fire, brother. Keep yourself together. People die, people are born, and the cycle keeps running. You cannot change the life, and you cannot let it ruin you like this."
I took a large sip from the bottle, threw it away, then wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "How can I not! They come to our country, bomb a place middle of a city, killing ten civilians and a legend, and our politicians don't declare war and put that bomb into those bastards' asses."
"Both countries are worn off from the war. They don't want to risk it because of an extremist attack, and East said they will compensate for the losses and execute anyone who helped for the plan."
"Yeah, peace my ass. Even our warmonger generals become peace-loving hippies in one night! They fired me, can you believe that! I give my life for this country's military and puff. They just sent me away." It isn't only his death that angers me. It is our scaredy cats who are refusing to take their revenge.
"They didn't fire you, just sent you for retirement. I will tell you my honest opinion, brother. You are not good. Maybe not bad as Captain was when he heard the news about the peace, but still bad." Pechman pulled out a flask from his suit's inner pocket. "I will leave this as a memorial, but why not empty it before." He opened the flask, poured alcohol into its cap, and offered it to me.
I grabbed the cap and gulped all alcohol in one shot. "Let me guess, a gift from Captain."
"Yeah, you are right."
"Look who we have here, two bastards drinking instead of making a speech in front of the casket." Three people entered the room. John, Mill, and Gilbert.
"Welcome to the party, battle brothers." I raised the empty cup. "Here we are drinking for his memory. Come join us."
John and Mill moved forward and grabbed me from the shoulders, then pulled me up. Mill punched me from the shoulder and caused me to spit.
"That hurts!"
"Good, I meant to hurt." Gill shook me. "Now, you bastard, that doesn't worth anything. We will fix your clothing, slap you until you come back to your senses, then make you do the final talk. After that, we can go to some bar and drink until we all die from soberness."
John punched my face. "Yeah, it isn't only who is sad about that loss, don't be a jerk, and pay your respects."
I began laughing. And I kept on, despite tears dropping from my eyes. "I will. I will-
A thunderous noise followed by a shock wave powerful enough to throw five grown men away like wiped tissues reminds me of the war. I fainted when my head slammed into a wall.
As I opened my eyes, the whole building was collapsing in front of my eyes. Walls were shattering pipes were exploding. Yet, I can still hear people screaming outside. "Jim! Roland! Anyone." I shouted with all my power, but no. No, it cannot be. In front of me lies a body smashed in half by a ruble.
These destructions must have a reason. Those bastards, there is no other explanation. They attacked again, and I told everyone they would do it on the first chance. I looked to my back. I am no good. My legs got crushed under another rubble, but alcohol and adrenaline kept the pain away. Write one score for the alcoholics.
I felt something touching my forehead, a warm liquid. It is dripping from the roof. It must be blood. I don't have the willpower to look and see who I lost this time.
I tried to crawl out of the place that could turn into my grave, but my arms failed me. My body is too heavy, and they are too weak.
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Then a whistle echoed through my ears. I know this, and I have one or two seconds left. A gliding bomb is coming here, and it will mark my end. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body, and I will at least die in the war. That's something.
*****
The emperor, wearing a robe made from golden threads, sits on his throne. He waits for the last guests to leave the hall to summon the ones who he needs to talk to personally.
And with the last person exiting the room and doors being closed. It is time. "That was the last of the young heroes. You may show yourselves to me."
A Group of five men entered the room. All have well-built bodies. They are inspecting the room, and for some reason, all of them are wearing suits. Various scars cover their bodies, and their eyes are empty, like cold sweet death from a bullet to the head. Why am I even telling this in the third-person viewpoint? That booze had something bad in it.
"So, those are the members of the famous Wolf Pack. The Bloodhound, or perhaps I must call you with your name Pechman, and you must be Roland, the Eagle-Eyed, and three of you, The Moose, The Fox, and the Tiger, am I right?"
I don't know what sort of bullshit I found myself inside, but I opened my eyes after my death inside a room with floors covered in luxurious white marble with golden veins. But I wasn't alone there. The other four were also there.
When we first saw a human, the emperor, we tried to talk and understand what the fuck was happening, but he just told us to stay here for some time, as he had a business to take before. Not satisfied with the answer, we got a little aggressive, and suddenly soldiers and giant golden robots flowed into the room. Behind them, a man carrying a staff entered and gibbered something, then a yellow energy barrier that came out of the ground trapped us.
Without any choices, we sat on the floor and began waiting. Sometime later, all soldiers left the room, and the man with the staff opened a gate for us to leave our cage. Then two giant knights escorted us to a hall, and we got there. My mind is so fucked up that I cannot even think properly.
Thankfully, Pechman is still on his senses. He is eager to question that guy who calls himself emperor. "We listened to you and didn't do anything. But at least tell us where and why we are here?"
"You, my friends, are chosen of our gods. They summoned you into this world to fight against an evil wanting to destroy us, the human kin."
"Don't your gods have any other options," Gilbert shouted. "We are fucking soldiers, soldiers! We cannot turn the tides of war. And look at this thing." He pointed towards the giant knight. "Look at these guys. Let them be the heroes, not us people with no weapons or a clue about what is happening."
"But you will have your weapons and learn about this world, my friend." Emperor Nolan got up from his throne and grabbed a massive sword that appeared from thin air. "You all will have similar abilities, but now, let me ask some questions. Where is your sixth member."
I stepped forward. "Dead. Turned into mush."
"Haha, you got me wrong. All of you died before coming here, so your friend. Prophecies talked about six special people from the same group coming to this world after all. But if the sixth one is not here, there should be a mistake or a problem."
"So, you say Erwin is here."
Emperor, who we later learned the name was Nolan, raised his arms. "I don't say anything. I just heard there should be six of you."
"So he is here."
"Probably yes, since I heard prophecies about him, we can even say that is certainly true, but gods plans might change. Hopefully not. He is someone I am excited for, despite having five of you plus hundreds of heroes who left an hour ago to train. A legendary soldier from another world, how fascinating and terrifying, of course, for our enemies." Emperor's talk is still not over. "Well, gentlemen, follow me, and let's have a drink or two while I answer the rest of your questions." Why isn't he just answering me? Damn it, like this whole mess, isn't already fucked up enough.
"Stop!" I shouted. "Does that mean Captain Erwin is alive and in here?"
"I already said. Your Captain probably is in this world. I don't know where, but on somewhere."
"Then we must find him. If we get those magic tricks like you to fight against evil, we also need a leader, and there is no one more suitable as Erwin to be our leader!" I turned toward my team. "We all agree on one thing. While we all are some of the best a soldier can achieve, The Wolf is on another level."
"And I believe you. But please, there are some formalities. Also, my Empire is not small. It is larger than any nation in your world, and I cannot search all of its corners right now. We must work together to find him."
All of us nodded. It doesn't matter how bullshit crazy things are currently going, but if we can find him. Now, then it might be worth it.