General Adlai Stevenson sat at his desk, head in his hands. It had been a close thing. Too close.
The Grand Army of the Republic had nearly died yesterday, after six months of setback after setback. If one more line had broken, if one more crossing across the Etwas River had not been held back, then he would be dead today. Pleasant thoughts.
Sighing, he folded his arms and paced across the small room. His first field headquarters had been overrun, and little had been saved. The new building they had found was barely adequate for a brothel, but it had to do. The only thing he really regretted leaving was his pipe, which had been given to him by his father. Another tragic loss in an equally tragic and senseless war.
"Sir?" One of his aides popped his head in through the door. "We have the person you requested."
"Send him in." Stevenson replied, then sat back down at his desk as the orderly left. At least one thing went right yesterday, and even that was pure dumb luck.
Two people entered the office. One of them was tall, brown hair and eyes and clothing that hadn't been washed in days, which was positively hygienic compared to the standards the men were down to. He also possessed one of the newest repeating rifles, currently slung across his back, and a long saber whose scabbard was caked in blood.
The other one was one of those fox people, from one of those far off island nations. The girl was mostly covered up with red fur, but had ragged clothing protecting the most immodest bit. She also was carrying a large pack on her back, and two short swords strapped to her waist.
"Sit down, sir, and Ma'am." Stevenson gestured to two chairs in front of his desk. He also noticed that the girl flinched slightly being referred to as "Ma'am". He started to get an idea as to what he might be getting into.
"Thank you for seeing us, General." The boy said. "My name is-"
"No names." Stevenson waved him off. "I don't want to know who you are. My only concern is what you will be.
"Now if reports are correct, you two singlehandedly not only defended a key position, but also managed to defeat one of the best units the Altarian military has to offer. Now I am simply stunned at this, and cannot thank the two of you enough for your heroic actions."
The boy looked sheepish, and the girl blushed somewhat. The boy replied first, saying "To be honest sir, the reason why we agreed to come here is actually to tell you that-"
'You're not from around here. I guessed that before you even stepped into my office, gentlemen." Stevenson hadn't become a general by being subtle. "You're from this 'Earth' place, I take it?"
They both looked completely shocked. "How did you-"
Stevenson waved a hand. "I'll explain later. Now, how long have you been here?"
"About three days." The fox girl said.
"Three days, huh?" Stevenson leaned back in his chair. "Well, let me brief you through a conflict that's been ravaging our land for the past three years.
"The Republic of Cephie has existed now for all of twenty five years. We're essentially made up of a bunch of vassal states that bunched together when the Arcturan empire collapsed." Stevenson rummaged under his desk until he could find a good map of the continent. Spreading it out over his desk, his two visitors leaned over to take a closer look. "Our nation is made up of about ten former city states, mostly along these coastal and swamp regions. We also have two dwarven cities up here in the mountains, along these two rivers." He traced two narrow lines across the map, which met a few inches from the coast.
"Now, it hasn't been the best alliance, but so far we've remained together. Actually, we've managed to become the largest nation on the continent, and the second most powerful." Stevenson sighed. "I think you can guess who the first is."
"Who are they?" the boy asked.
"The Kingdom of Altaria." Stevenson spat out. "The damned bastard alliance of the elves and the old Arcturan nobility. They're trying to restore the old empire, in their image, by conquering each rogue nation by force. So far, they've managed to take back nearly every old land the empire held, and even some more." The old soldier's face broke into a rare grin. "Except for us."
"Our territory is, to put it mildly, hell on any invader. Mountains surrounding us, heavily fortified coastal cities along the oceans, and most of all, a population that's willing and ready to fight. They found out about this personally, when they invaded two years ago."
Stevenson's face began to fall, and the next time he spoke, it was in a softer, regretful tone. "The men have done everything we can ask of them. We've tried every tactic we can think of. The land itself is fighting back, raining, hailing, snowing nonstop where they conquer. But it's not enough. God help us, it's not enough. Highland was first, taking over a hundred thousand people with it. They spared that city; it fell quickly. Nomad didn't, and they burned it. We've been falling back for two long, miserable years. We've done all we can, but it's not enough."
Stevenson sighed. "Now you know that much, at least. Now, Earth."
He rummaged beneath his desk and pulled out a small, grubby book. The title was illegible underneath the grime.
"Five years ago, a man arrived on our border, wounded, tired, and starving. He was found by one of our border patrols, and eventually found his way to me. Most of what he said was incomprehensible by that point, but what he had on him saved us from destruction."
He took the book in his hand, and tossed it to the surprised boy.
"In that book is the entire campaign strategy for the Altarian military, listing their long term goals, strategies, and tactics. It also detailed the relationship between the Altarians and this group called the 'Omega Games'. From what we can tell, Omega Games supplies the Altarians with technology and equipment, and the Altarians work to bring stability as soon as they can. They also get a massive bonus for finding people referred to as 'Player Characters", who come from Earth. Now, what I know about Earth itself comes mostly secondhand, but I do know that magic is all but non existent there. From what the book says, the PCs are to be taken to a facility deep in Altarian Territory."
"And that just about covers it." Stevenson finished, leaning back. "Any questions?"
Both of his guests were completely shocked, and needed a minute to take it all in.
"So, what happens next?" The boy asked.
"You tell me." Stevenson replied. "I have my hands full trying to hold those Altarian bastards back. If there's anything I can do to help you, I'll gladly do it, but understand that if it comes between you and my army, my army wins hands down. To be honest, I could use both of you on the front. You've demonstrated your ability, and I can use people like you."
"General, we'd be glad to help, but our first priority is to find our friend. She was captured yesterday, and we need to get her back." The girl replied.
"I understand. If they realized who she is, though, you know where she's going to be headed." Stevenson said with a hint of sorrow. "The book doesn't say what they do there, but suffice it to say, I don't think it needs to."
The boy, whose head had been bowed in thought, looked up.
"Where is this place, exactly?"
