Izmos

It is 1924 in Valianak, as the decades long war persists with no end in sight. After the Hireylans initially made landfall on southern Taloweiz through the Kin Strait and began to pursue deep inland to crush the sacred Taloweit Monarchy, they were faced with the dangers of the Taloweit environment. The excruciating heat of the deserts in the Kausvalkan region acted as a natural defense that prevented the Hireylans from advancing too quickly.

Thus, the Hireylan military resorted to transportation by armored train, solely through captured railroad lines. Taloweit soldiers often sabotaged the rails and ambushed the trains in organized units. On rare occasions, they would also take the trains for themselves and repurpose them to fight against the Hireylans.

The Taloweit anti - vehicle crew, silent as an alley cat, crept over the edge of a sandstone ridge as an enemy armored train roared through the searing blaze of the Tapeh - Sheni Desert. It was empty land for about a hundred thousand klicks from where the soldiers were, with the sand reaching to the end of a small village that was levelled and reduced to rubble over years of cannonade. The men were all equally as tired, thirsty, hungry, and ready for the war to be over. A man tended to a field cannon, loading in an artillery shell, and aimed it at the train. The men kept their eyes peeled, all focused on the train, loading their shoulder cannons and ready to fire.

But the steel beast came to a halt as it passed by. Don’t shoot, one of the soldiers said, watching the train with careful eyes. The train’s thick steel plates slowly slipped off and collapsed into the sand, bit by bit, revealing that the armored train had recently been in combat - it was damaged.

Why did it stop? Someone asked.

It sees us. Another responded, keeping a steady finger on the trigger of his rifle.

We would already be dead. A soldier reassured. Besides, we have the higher ground. Its cannons are unable to hit us.

No one could truly be sure what was happening at the moment, so the footmen waited for the vehicle to move for about five minutes until they decided to investigate because the sun was too harsh to endure. Slinging the heavy anti - vehicle rifles around their backs with their straps, they carefully climbed down the tall cliffside. The soldiers reached the ground, their feet landing in the sand, and they approached the daunting monster cautiously, ready to attack.

After wading their way through the sand with the wind brushing their steel helmets, the soldiers were still perplexed as the train had still not moved. The train’s intimidating guns faced the soldiers, but they did not fire, nor did any other turrets crane their cannons around. The burning sun shone on the black metal of the armored train and reflected the light, partially blinding the Taloweit men advancing towards it. They were about a few feet away from the locomotive until they realized something - the train had actually sustained minor damage. One of the men, known for being daring and reckless, volunteered to climb onto the train and get in through a hatch on top of one of the cars.

The soldier was able to pry open the hatch with an axe, and to his surprise, every crew member in the train, gunner, infantry, and driver, were all deceased. And God, it smelled awful. The soldier held his breath and covered his nose with his scarf to keep out the disgusting scent as he walked through the armored vehicle, weapon out, ready to fight. The unfortunate Hireylan soldiers in the train must’ve been rotting in the vehicle for days - under this blazing hot weather. After a swift check, the soldier climbed back out of the hatch and told the others about the information.

Everyone in there is dead. The train is still intact - engines, cannons, machine guns and all. We can bring this back to katonai bázis (military base) for repairs, and salvage some parts. the soldier said. The rest of the men agreed, and were able to relay a transmission from their position to their base. The Taloweit military arrived, transported the train to their base, repaired it over the course of a few weeks, then sent it back into combat.

The Hireylan armored train, which was originally manufactured to kill Taloweit soldiers, was refurbished with a new purpose, and sent back to the frontlines to kill Hireylan soldiers. With the help of the train, it would stand victorious in multiple battles throughout the Kausvalkan Region. Nicknamed “Izmos”, the armored train and its story would become highly renowned throughout the Taloweit military. Izmos - the beast sent to kill its original creators. In the same month, the soldiers that discovered the train would lay in wait on the same ridge in hopes of finding another train to steal.

The End