The slashing of the wind, the crack of branches, the stomping of the earth, the trotting of the earth and the rabid barks of hounds were the sounds that one could hear at dusk in the Cambervale Forest outside the town of Vercourt. The Lumberjacks normally stop the days loggings as soon as they see the bottom half of the sun dip down on the horizon. Many of them already ran back home or to their communal camps to rest and enjoy their supper.
Unfortunately for the Elven Princess, Ranger and Cleric of Neneth, Aliathra Lareththor, she could not enjoy the luxuries of a respite as she sped through the homeward bound woodsmen deeper into the forest. She was followed by Petur and the Elf's old college room mate Lyndis who were hot on the trail with some local guards, Grey Order Guildsmen and Lyndis entourage of Sefydliad. The pursued elf could hear the sounds of shouting of angry and fearful men alongside the rabid barks of hunting hounds who were released off of their leashes.
Aliathra recalled from memory that on her way to Vercourt she had to cross a bridge that was built over a river that when following it north to the Dwarven Mountain hold leads to the more remote parts of the forest that she can hide in. Clutching her bow at one hand and her Ranger's Knife on the other she sped through the forest whilst her pursuers still fumbled themselves by the growing crowd of confused lumberjacks who were unintentionally obstructing their way. She regained some self confidence as she loses sight of the camp and now at the forest proper.
She dashed towards the river that runs east of Vercourt. She quickly crossed the river
She ducked down behind a log and took a deep breath. Aliathra's muscles panged in soreness as she grasped the strained areas of her body. With a little bit of mana reserved in her, she relaxed the muscles that cramped her to remove all the pain. Once relieved of such material matters, Aliathra re-examined herself. She was quick enough to grab both her bag and her Bow alongside her arrow quiver which to her account contained 11 Arrows inside. Unfortunately for her, several of her personal items like her quill pen, her journal, a grind stone for her Knife, her Rations and a couple of herbal patches were left behind due to them being outside of her bag at the time. What was left inside her bag were some other wilderness survival items like a couple of flints for starting a fire, a whistle to signal help, a piece of candy that she keeps to herself and her Royal Ring, the symbol of Ethuilen Elven Royalty which has a diplomatic and sentimental value to her and a locket of pure sentimentality to Aliathra.
Tears fell down on the locket as she opened the heart shaped piece of jewelry to see a very miniature sized version of her family portrait made from the lithe hands of fairy painters who was commissioned by her mother Elisven so she can have lockets of their family portraits to each of her three children. Aliathra let a solemn smile as she remembered the amusing hours she and her family had to endure trying to hold still while the Fairy painters delicately drew their images on the canvasses that will become their locket pictures. She kept it hidden between her breasts throughout her meetings with the UFE Otherworlders. Couldn't bear the thought of them learning something more about her than her name. If there was one thing that Aliathra cared just as much as her people, it was her own flesh and blood. The Royal Ethuilen Elven Family, House Lareththor.
"Always remembered Valorion whined to dear mother that he wanted to go kiting that day…" Aliathra reminiscence.
She can still remember that day as if it was only yesterday. She recalled her constant humming of some of the Neneth Clerics chants that lightened up the silence of their ordeal whilst they stood still for their painters. She recalled the 'whoosh' noises Valorion made to annoy the Fairies to hurry up so he can play with his friends afterwards. And she couldn't forget sister Lunafreya or at least that's her Human name since she was named after a friend from her Mother's travels. Her Elven name is Ithiel which means 'Lady of the Moon' due to her pale skin which poets sang that her glow outshines the moon. She was the heir apparent in many courts but her Elven named faded to the background due to the name Lunafreya being a much salable name to remember. Ithiel is used by her fellow Elves but to every other race it was Lunafreya.
She recalled the complaints by all three of them about why they need to hold still for an entire afternoon holding still while the Fairy Painters, (in)famous for their meticulously.
Her mother Elisven lectured her that the idea behind that is that the King and Queen will soon no that one day, the children will eventually leave the safety of the Palace venture off to the world alone and she wanted to give each of their children a reminder of where their hearts were, with their family so that if they ever feel lost, they can always know that their 'Hearts are still with each other' as Aliathra's mother lectured after a grueling day of standing still while in the middle of a hot summer day. Her father, Aslanidor and her mother Elisven personally inscribed each of the three lockets with them signatures and insignias to give them a personal touch before handing them over to their children.
"I wish I could talk to you…" She whispered as she continued to patch herself up.
She could feel her heart palpitate quite frantically from this whole ordeal and if there was one thing that she needs to do right now is to calm down.
She is a hunted Elf and she needed to meditate her next move less one rash decision be her last.
She closed her eyes, knelt down on a meditative posture and took a deep breath.
In her studies this was a sort of quasi-ritual encouraged by her Ranger Masters of the important benefits of meditation and amongst the Clerics who she was tutored by. The former stated that meditation is a great way for a methodical and cunning Ranger such as herself to undertake as it helps relieve stress and the nervousness of the high risks duties the Elven Rangers undertake. The latter, the Clerics told her that when a Mage such as herself meditates she can actually multiply her magical potential less risks of overexerting herself from a general Magic Theory sense. But in a Cleric's point of view, Meditation can be used to help a Cleric reconnect his Restoration energies called 'Dui' meaning Flow to be able to accomplish better feats.
Her nervous heart felt restless and even out of beat. Thus, Aliathra inhaled and concentrated.
Her Dui as her inner senses could feel flowed around her body like a river rapid current. With practice gained over decades of mastering the art of Meditating, Aliathra corrected her Flow.
She worked from her tired legs upwards but as she continued her self-diagnosis.
But as Aliathra got closer upwards to her chest, she could feel an odd sensation. She could almost hear her High Elven blood shiver in fear as they pass through as if they had witnessed the most horrid of crimes. Her nerves felt disgust as if they had seen with their metaphorical eyes a most disgusting of abominations. Even the very bones in her body could feel a sense of rejection as if they casted off an unfavorite child.
This caused Aliathra to grow concern and confused. Her Clerical Training had taught her to detect the signs of life and to listen on their speaking for she was taught that "The very Life of Gliesia sings to them for all of creation see's the Gods' children every deed" as the religious texts goes.
She mentally pushed herself further in her meditation, she needed to get to the bottom of this.
Every inch of her body as she got closer to her heart. In the Pantheon Legends and Myths, the Heart represents the inner essence of a living being, their thoughts, personality and memories. It was the most vital part of the living creature although Aliathra did ask her professors one time if Trees and Plants have hearts. According to them and all the books she read; the Plants often hide their feelings unless a Cleric gently whispers to them to reveal it.
At last after passing through many of the 'frightened' blood particles and cells in her body, she arrived at the very core of her being. The Heart…
And it was cold…
Aliathra if she could express herself physically, would have her mouth agape in even more spiraling confusion. The very flesh of the heart was meant to be heartwarming like the gentlest of flames. When a heart gets cold, it signifies death but yet her heart beats, sometimes erratically and in other normal cases within a reasonable rhythm. Was some sort of physiological abnormality within her?
The Elf opened her eyes again. This time, she needed clarity. Again, remembering her education. Aliathra conjured up a combination of Illusion and Restoration School magic spells simply called 'See Body' which allows the user, whether with himself or to another person to see a luminescent live projection of their internal body. This was used by forcing the Mana energies to create waves inside the body to whilst also applying some luminescent magic to vividly show from the tiniest blood vein to one's important vital organs outside under transparent scrutiny by the one performing the diagnosis.
It takes awhile for the Mana energies to fully take place but Aliathra was determined to see the anomaly.
Thinking back, she reflected on the excoriating words the Oathtakers of Neneth threw at her:
"Stand back! Spawn of Alboen"
In the legends, the demons were often depicted with metallic or very hard and rock like skin. Their life forces were non existent of neither positive charged nor negative charged. But how could the Clerics have accused her? A fellow devotee and faithful practitioner of the very antithesis of Demon's, the School of Restoration Magics be accused of Unlife?
Confusion wracked Aliathra as she beat her chest repeatedly like a war drum. Just then, she could feel her heart contract which forced her to let go.
"By the Goddess…" Aliathra panted.
Ever since she left Kesserheim she had been having several occasions of heart complications and it each time grew more excruciating. It was no longer just the simple overbeat threw the new found stresses of her first time outside in the world at large. There was something genuinely wrong with it.
She now lay on the log anxiously as she saw the 'See Body' spell projection of a live visual feed of her entire body…
And she screamed…
Her heart, was not made out of the flesh which was Neneth's own blood, warm and soft, but instead metallic with a reflective hue from the light that resonated back to the screen. It wasn't a singular united organ of tissue and blood but instead an amalgamation of artificial components all locked into place to form the satirical image of a living heart whilst Aliathra's pure Elven blood flow and was pushed out by a pump that rises and hammers down the pressure needed to continue normal circulatory function.
But normal wasn't anything about this heart. It was one sickening parody of a Living, Breathing and God-made Heart.
Worst of all were the inscriptions. It was the language of You-Eff-Eee people that is called 'English'. The text read:
'Aceso Membrum: Cardia Mk. VIII
a product of Aparo Pharmaceutical Corp.
Appliance installed by Doctor Hanjun of Saint Luke's Medical Complex, Kesserheim'
She was tainted…
Her heart, is of otherworldly designs…
-------------------------
"Damnit! That's one hell of a thunder storm!" Captain Jennifer Kaprelian said as she flew the Super Osprey towards Vercourt. Her tactical hug displayed on the cockpit the formation of heavy clouds slowly creeping towards the search area.
The Super Osprey had several distinct features compared to its old American Airforce predecessor which boasted a 30% larger cargo/passenger hold and several armaments for Door Gunner fire support such as a Minigun and even a grenade launcher. Additionally, in the more Utility side of the plane's spectrum was that it can be deployed into the vacuum of space and can be outfitted with high powered radios to make it a Command Vehicle to relay orders and analyze any strategic and tactical information that it's sensor will detect.
"Approximately one hour before it hits the Vercourt. Unsafe flying conditions are to be expected. Recommend landing." The Military Artificial Intelligence I.S.A.C.C (Intelligent System Analytical Command Computer) robotic voice warned on the intercom.
"Negative ISACC. We need to bag Aliathra or Governor White and Prince Clovich are going to die." Samantha reprimanded the computer.
The AI had just recently integrated itself with all the available information related to Gliesia from Important Figures to all known geography of the planet. It was rather unusual for ISACC to be used for a Colonial Militia but circumstances have led to Major Holyfield granting ISACC's services to the Colonial Militia's Studies and Observations squads just like Stryder Group. It can among analyzing the weather, coordinate recon and combat drones in the area. Coordinate squad to company scale military battlefield maneuvers and even play Satellite Radio station from all the corners of the UFE Civilization.
Samantha and her squad have all been retrofitted with an ISACC tactical computer on their persons and are now connected to the AI's growing roster of personnel under its responsibility.
"Multiple Activity detected on Vercourt." The AI informed.
"It is the middle of Logging Season for the town. How can we find her in this crowd?" Iris asked.
"With this Iris." Kayin answered as he opened a box with a cage door on one side of it.
A four-legged creature emerged from the shadows. Its paws were of a canine form but its skin was a reflective metal made with forest Flecktarn camouflage with the UFE Insignia proudly displayed on the 'Dog's' body.
"Iris, this is the Aparo Robotic's Shao-Shan K9 Drone. It's a Robot Dog." Kayin introduced.
"Like one of your drones?" Iris asked.
"Yes, its all the fun parts of a Dog minus the pissing and shitting that you gotta clean up." Diaz smirked as he gave a final tune up to the All-Terrain Vehicles that Stryder Group will be moving out from. They needed to move in and out of Vercourt fast.
"I can also have a 'Therapeutic Comfort' mode and I am directly linked to ISACC." The Robot Dog said.
"Why do we need to bring this mutt with us?" Iris asked.
"We need him to help find Aliathra and the Dog comes with many autonomous tracking functions such as the 'Bloodhound' Prog--- I mean, it can smell things and track stuff like any good sniffing dog. We should have a lead on the Elf once we landed." Kayin caught himself again with the overtly sophisticated terminology that Gliesians such as Iris have no grasp over.
"Hey Diaz! Where did you say Aliathra might be at?" Clay asked the Penal Soldier.
"The Guild Building in town. Shouldn't be hard to miss. Maybe they know where she is. Hopefully she's just there. But if not, the Guild peeps there should know." Diaz answered.
"Attention all outgoing personnel, we are about to land. Get into your deployment stations now." Captain Kaprelian informed everyone on the Intercom.
"Good. Okay Fido, take point. Iris hold on to me tight, this ATV can be pretty fast." Kayin told the Vampire Witch.
The entire squad mounted their ATV's and revved up the engines as the Super Osprey made its touchdown.
The Denizens of Vercourt who were all dropping their tools and working moods to enjoy a rejuvenating night of tavern drinking and hearty suppers over a hard working day had their festive mood disturbed in the most highest of degrees when they heard the beating drums of the Super Ospreys engines as it approached the Town's eastern entrance. The folks could feel the wind blow away from the mighty bird's landing spot as they all fearfully flee to their homes. Such a sight was nightmarish to them and not even the local guards dare move one step closer towards the metal bird that suddenly landed on their humble little town.
Just the metal birds back opened up as a ramp let out 4 Riders in small but thunderous steads whose noise wailed as they pass. Many of the folks believe that it was the wails of a Banshee come to signal their death and doom and began to pray to their Pantheon of Gods to spare them.
Stryder Group quickly sped pass the myriad of buildings with Crocker and Samantha's ATV plus the Shao-Shan K9 Drone leading the way.
The Villagers, startled by the roar of their engines shuddered, daring not to provoke the mysterious strangers. Many of them feared that they were Bandits but the sound of their 'steeds' invoke a mystical element that the natives couldn't fathom comprehend.
The ATV's soon encircled the Grey Order Building. Recognizable with the inherent symbols of their power, influence and prestigious legitimacy for a glorified Mercenary Agency: A Weighing Scale balancing a gold coin on one side and a sword on the other.
"Rose, times is at the essence for New Albany. Let me deal with this." Crocker told her.
"What do you mean Sergeant?" Samantha asked.
"My instincts tell me they aren't going to give her up so quietly…" Crocker said as he turned his legs out of the ATV, picked up his LMG and walked straight inside the Guild Building.
There was a fire in his eyes Samantha saw in him. It was of zealous determination. Given the context of his colorful career. Samantha knew he takes Terrorist Attacks such as what had transpired in Arhaf very seriously.
Crocker barged into the receiving hall with a thunderous entrance with his Exo-Suit chipping a good chunk of that door off.
"Hey! You need pay for---" one of the people, presumably one of the guild hall's staff walked up to reprimand the Sergeant but Crocker being about twice the man's size, grabbed the hapless native and lifted him upwards until he was face to face with the Gliesian.
"Elf, Blonde Hair with Blue Eyes? Heals people and Carries a bow? Goes by the name of 'Aliathra'? Where is she?" Crocker demanded to
"I cannot disclose official --- aahh!" the Staffer was grabbed by the throat by the Sargeant who remembering his discretion, turned off the hydraulic enhancements of his Exo-Suit less he accidentally kills every person his hands came in contact with.
The Imposing British-Maori man dragged his victim towards the Guild building's Clerk Desk where he proceeded to violently slam his body to the table taking care (or just pressure) to make sure he still has his grip on the man's neck.
"I do not want to hear any of the 'Official' Blah-Blah. Tell me where is Aliathra's Room?" Crocker demanded again.
"Upstairs! 3rd room to your left!" the Staff member said.
"Thank you." Crocker let go.
"That was… harsh…" Samantha commented, she was at a lost for words on Crocker's… 'enhanced' means of interrogation.
"No time to wank around now. Come." Crocker gestured.
The two and their Dog Drone walked up the stairs of the Guild Building to where they were directed.
Opening the Door, the two entered into the room to be greeted by 4 robed individuals. Each of them in Green and rather gracefully designed clothing that demanded respect and awe. Samantha took a closer look into their robes and noticed that the most peculiar of the robe's designs was the Religious Symbol of Neneth: a glowing heart being held by a bloodied hand and wrapped with adorning vines. It is the very symbol of the Goddess of Life, Aliathra's patron deity. Those men, froze in fear, not knowing how to react to the intruder in their imposing armor and alien weapons.
Looking around, Crocker spotted amongst the humble accommodations and the Natives, several articles that he instantly recognized. A Journal, that lay on the ground by a small rock, several patches made from some sort of medicinal plant and a quill pen. The Journal was the most obvious revelation that Aliathra was indeed in that very room. It had a distinct looking flower on top of some Elven Writing scribblings that he remembered confiscating during Aliathra's 'detour' into Kesserheim. He may not personally know how the Elven Language was written but he swore by his guts of over 20 years in Anti-Insurgency is that Journal was Aliathra's.
He walked up, his Exo-Skeleton's feet thumped the wooden floor like a hammer in every step towards the Journal.
"Was this Aliathra's?" Crocker said, grabbing the book and showing it to the robed figures.
By his and Samantha's observations, they were Elves, fair skinned, silky long hair had a rather fay demeanor of physical supremacy if it wasn't for their shaking bodies cowering at the sight of them and their robotic hound.
"The… Hear---" one of them spoke. That elf was soon going to regret it when Crocker dashed towards him and grabbed him by the throat. He pushed the hapless Elf Cleric towards the window and forcefully smashed the wooden frames open with the weight of the Elf's body and his muscular arms.
He was not fooling around in this building any much longer. There were lives to be saved back home.
"What did you say? Where is Aliathra?" Crocker asked as he pushed the Elf's body leaning by the window.
"You foul monster. May Neneth…" the Elf channeled his god to curse his aggressor but it only further agitated an overtly zealous Sergeant Crocker.
Lewis pushed the Elven Cleric further down, his body now merely a few newtons of force and weight from being hanged upside down on the wrong side of the window. And that's not accounting if the Armored Clad beast holding him decided to let him go to fall face first.
"Aaah! Aaah! Aaah! She ran towards the Forest… North." The Cleric said.
Crocker pulled the Elf back up to the balcony safely before tossing him back to the beds as he turned around with the information he needed.
The other 3 Clerics in the room began to chant and waved religious iconographies at the UFE soldiers. They hurled what Samantha can deduct from the context of their situation that they are trying to 'Exorcise' them.
"Subjects are non-hostile but are nervous. Suggested Action: Non-Violent Pacification." The Robot Dog said.
His voice alarmed the Clerics as they redirected their Exorcism towards the andromorph.
"Subjects are presenting now a threat level 1 Danger to Squad Operational Integrity. Activating non-lethal countermeasures…" the K9 Drone said as a hidden compartment at its back revealed to be a Taser Gun.
It shot a bolt of electricity to one of the Clerics who was promptly shot down non-lethally by the electric rays. It then with lightning fast reflexes, fired its Taser Gun at the 2 remaining clerics who joined their incapacitated colleague on the wooden floor of the Guild Building.
"Potential Threat pacified." The Dog confirmed its actions.
Samantha spat a minor disgust on that K9 Unit. It had several autonomous functions that when news got out into the public created controversy over the more… potent features of the Robot from the aforementioned Taser Gun, Facial Recognition, an AI with a no-nonsense attitude against potential perpetrators and Titanium Teeth. It was George Orwell's nightmare made in metallurgic reality based on his warnings of his books of the dangers of such Totalitarian measures.
"We got what we came for El-Tee. Let's get out of here." Crocker said.
"Was that all necessary?" Samantha questioned.
"I wish I could apologize to you El-Tee but you need to trust me on this one. In my experience, it pays to be forceful to people who perform Terrorist Attacks. Don't fucking lecture me on Geneva Con this and Human Rights that… there is no choice here but power." Crocker grimly expounded as the two and their K9 companion descended down the stairs.
"There is ALWAYS ANOTHER OPTION Sergeant!" Samantha objected to Crocker's Cynicism.
"Oh? What would you do? When lives are on the line El-Tee? I have seen Islamists throw White Phosphorous at a Disney Land, I seen Separatist gun down loyalists like sheep on UN Day, I saw suicide bombers toss themselves at Delegations. People this… this Grey Order or whoever sent those Marauders back in Arhaf CANNOT be negotiated with!" Crocker argued back.
"That's because we just barged into their place and toss everything and everyone around like we already own it for a start." Samantha fired back.
"These aren't OUR people. They look human, smell and feel like a Human but they aren't one of us. Planets, Fantastical bullshit, maybe someone's own incessant writings on a keyboard! They never knew what we do. They only understand one thing. Strength. Now are we going to fuck around here or get the Elf before our only chance of some resemblance of peace dies off in a cold hospital bed?" Crocker reasoned.
"N—No…" Samantha backed down.
"Then what's our next objective?" Crocker asked his superior. He still knows that she is still naïve to her job.
"Find… the Elf… Now." Samantha said.
The two exited the Guild building where the rest of the Squad was barely hanging on from an ongoing crowd of heckling townsfolk who overheard the commotion at the Guild Building.
"Up North! Forest lands." Crocker told the squad.
He then waved Aliathra's Journal on top of their K9's nose who with it's 'Bloodhound' Protocol detecting the DNA from within the annals of paper it contained.
"Tracking…" the K9 informed. "DNA match, Scent Trail nearby. Enacting 'Bloodhound' Protocol." The Drone yipped as it began to dash off.
Revving up their ATV's the Squad followed the K9.
Moving away from the Town, Stryder Group soon reached the edge of the Forest where their ATV's easily penetrate the tree's with terrifying speeds for a Gliesian such as Iris who was onboard as a passenger with Kayin driving the vehicle.
"Hold on tight!" Kayin warned.
"This Horse is quite a fiery one love! Ah!" Iris commented.
Sometimes, the forest's vegetation became to thick so Crocker would quickly eject out of the ATV and with his Exo suit did some heavy lifting to clear out the way from lifting off dead trees to uprooting lone freshly severed tree stumps. Thanks to his marvel of Earthling engineering, he hardly broke a sweat.
"Come on! We got to go!" Crocker yelled.
"That Rainstorm is gonna hit us at 50 minutes Stryder. You only got a short window before we lose our window." Captain Kaprelian radioed.
It was now a race against time…
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Aliathra collapsed a fifth time again while in pursuit. Her legs cramped from over exertion of the extreme physical pacing she is going through. But she needed to keep running, she could hear the hateful shouts of the Sefydliad and the encroaching barks of dogs who traipse the landscapes with ease for they hound were of the local garrison's kennels. They were at their element here and there at the Cambervale Forest where they spent many autumns hunting Game animals for their master's nutrition.
The warm dirt tainted her porcelain elven skin as she grinded and gnashed her teeth. Her body was at its breaking point. Only the faint trickling of the Rainfall snapped her back to reality. She was in that green vegetated inferno, hungry, exhausted but most of all afraid. Aliathra's head was swarmed with so many questions, many of which that not even the most erudite of Elven Minds could formulate a coherent explanation.
What is it like to be 'turned' into a demon?
Is she no longer herself?
Am I 'lost and damned'?
All of these in her head rang like an everlasting bell that Elf's attention span was disabled. It was too late for her too notice her present as her unknowing foot took an ill-conceived step off an edge of a slope.
"No!" Aliathra cried screaming as gravity did his cruel work.
Her body slid down several meters on the rocky terrain, tearing through the geological formation crudely as Aliathra shifted with strenuous effort to not crash through anything that could seriously injure her. She tumbled clumsily with in a bumpy landing by the end of the slope on the ground with several bruises on her feet and one on her right forearm. She limped her way to a nearby rock to hide.
With as much subtly to her Restoration Magics as possible due Magic always making some semblance of a sound, Aliathra exhaustingly applied first aid to her wounded limbs. She breathed a sigh of heavily needed relief as she felt the muscle pains soothed away. She collapsed on the
Her Instincts kicked in soon afterwards, she knew that her pursuers would hear that. The Elf unsheathed her bow and drew an arrow at the cliff's edge that she had fell over. She could hear their voices.
"Where is she?" one voice yelled.
"Down there?" she could hear Lyndis' voice.
She saw the humanoid figures of several Slaegian Militia men walk to the edge of the cliff who scoured the ground above them. Aliathra held her breath, smelling the rainfall that began to grow ever more stronger as each moment passed and then she prayed… not to Neneth anymore but to any God or Deiety, Holy or Unholy that they don't spot her.
"Get around that quick." A voice from the back echoed.
The militia soldiers turned around, not risking to take the obviously dangerous short cut below them.
With a moment of opportunity, Aliathra emerged out of her hiding place with a second wind. If she can make it to the edge of the Dwarven Mountain Clan's borders she should be safe.
Dwarves weren't too involved with the Elves as they tend to keep to themselves Politically speaking outside of trade agreements with the Humans. She could feign asylum there for awhile until she could figure out her next move. But even that, Aliathra gave a second thought, where can she move too?
Dwarves normally aren't the type of people accepting of Immigrants and she would stand out like the tallest tree on Vercourt's Wood harvest. What if, the Dwarves recognized her and heard the news that she might be some sort of Demonic impostor? Running to the Black Tree Pact would be suicidal, they would instantly recognize the youngest princess of the Ethuilen Royal family and would kill her at best, imprison her at worst as a slave. The northern tribes beyond the boundaries of the Dwarven Clan Holds were plausible, but surviving the frigid temperatures with her current clothes on her back were made any chances of finding sanctuary dim, and that's not overruling the possibility of her being forced into the harem of the one of the barbaric chieftains there like some toy to be used for breeding purposes.
Then, to her own realizing horror, there was the Yu-Ef-eee themselves. The 'demons' who corrupted her. Such a thought of her being now slowly turned to someone like that Vincent Diaz made her trembled. She saw what they did, what moral boundaries they would be willing to bypass in pursuit of their goals. Would they make her kill people for the sake of 'Profits'? Force her to be the sickening 'entertainment' of their high masters? Would they force feed her more 'Jalapeno Peppers' until her mouth melts?
Her mind racing was interrupted again by the noise of a loud trumpet… no it sounded more of a Hippogryph's mighty wings? Practically 'Naked' and afraid, Aliathra hid again on a rock as she peeked over it.
There was a large metal bird that glided or maybe it beat it wings so fast that the unaided eye perceives its wings to not look like its wings were flapping repeatedly to stay afloat. But then after some close observations she noticed upon a zoom with her eye a familiar group of symbols.
"The You-Ef-ee? They are here now?" Aliathra thought.
Then she began to crack. Irrationality broke free as her brain began to open to broad expansions that she didn't know nor care were even possible:
'Did they know I was turned into one of them?'
'Have their armies grown?'
'Are they here to claim my soul?'
Then, just as her mind races with itself again, her instincts, from her ears twitched. She could hear footsteps. They are now close to her. She needed to think fast. She couldn't handle so many of them in her state.
Her eyes dart to a muddy puddle, it wasn't deep but it was soft and depressing enough that she can hide down there. She remembered her Ranger Training that Camouflage can be improvised by covering oneself in mud when hiding in temperate or humid environments to evade foes. It was messy but it could save her life then and there.
She dove down on to the mud, and quickly slathered her self with the mud until head to toe she is now covered. She took a deep breath, expanding her diaphragm for maximum duration and held it as her pursuers descended onto the scene.
They were oblivious to the unusual bump on the puddle behind them as their backs were turned.
Aliathra rethink her escape options again. Maybe if she, after shaking of her pursuers, she can blend in as a normal human at the Dwarven Holds by painstakingly cutting off leaf pointed ears with her knife. Or being a concubine to a Tribal Chief isn't so bad anymore.
Just then, the Soldiers began to slowly move away from each other that there was a considerable distance between them that Aliathra can slip pass unnoticed.
Slowly rising from the mud, Aliathra tiptoed pass the guards, she was fortunate that none of them were the Hound masters earlier but a split off group. She knew Lyndis had to work with what she could levy up from the Town Guards and she was an excellent delegator.
She was however, still exhausted from her ordeal that her self-awareness was still significantly hampered.
*crack*
The snap of a fallen branch that was so well hidden from the rainy soil betrayed her. Her heart sank as the Slaegians turned around.
"She's he---" the Slaegian pointed out before suddenly just as he shouted, his head exploded into a dispersion of organic matter and gore.
------------------------------------
"Hit!" Clay declared as he looked over his binoculars. He turned to a smug Obediah who with his rifle 'Leah' found its mark on the most threatening tango closest to Aliathra.
He was overlooking the patrol of Slaegian soldiers that Stryder Group over looked. That was until they saw a figure rise from a muddy puddle and tried to slip away until the figure accidentally stepped on a twig of wood. He knew the figure was Aliathra thanks to their K9 Unit barking positively at that person.
"Open fire!" Samantha ordered her men.
Synchronizing their shots, Stryder Group picked their targets and shot them down with their guns.
"Visual confirmed on Aliathra." Samantha radioed to command.
"Good, do everything in your power to bring her in Alive. She is a priority." Polonsky said through the radio.
"Colonel, if I may ask. How will she cooperate with us? She wasn't so very, fond of us and going to Kesserheim last time I saw her. What makes you think she will heal those poisoned?" Samantha questioned.
"I have ways. But it won't work if those Insurgents get to her first. Get to her ASAP." Polonsky ordered.
The squad dashed passed the Slaegians corpses as their K9 Drone companion lead the way.
As they pursued, Diaz felt a force of wind gush pass his face. A soft 'thwack' noise alarmed his ears as his eyes widened on an Arrow's shaft that was mere inches away from hitting him on the head but instead landed on a tree. His brush with mortality made him nearly slip down as he scrambled for cover.
"She's shooting at us!" Diaz yelled to his squad.
"The better! She's just slowing herself down." Crocker said.
"Everyone takes cover but keep moving swiftly. We can't let her get away!" Samantha rallied.
Moving through the trees with a sense of caution but a redoubled urgency. Stryder group weaved their way closer to the Elf who was only slowing herself down every time she took fire.
Her aim was impressive albeit in her weakened state not good enough to be able to hit her intended marks of cutting down her pursuers as the ill-aimed arrows landed with close calls from a few inches off of her squad mates, Crocker's Exosuit Breastplate deflecting the arrow and even Obediah's Sniper Rifle 'Leah' (who didn't take his '2nd Wife' getting scratched that well when he saw a dent on the hull of his rifle's receiver). As Samantha can observe, for each shot that fired became more desperate. Like a prey being pursued via Persistence Hunting tactics, Aliathra was slowly losing the distance between them until she was finally cornered by Stryder group.
"There you are! We were looking for you but then you started to shoot at us. We need to---" Samantha greeted before she was interrupted by the Elf.
"What did you do to me?!?! You… You… turned me!" Aliathra shouted. She tried to reach into her quivers but soon found out to her horror that she was out of arrows.
The elf grabbed her bow by the limbs and held them with her two hands like a sword in a desperate bid to fight off her so-thought kidnappers.
"Did to you? We didn't do any---" Samantha tried to reason with her but was interrupted again.
"You're lying! I know what you did to me! I felt your corruption seep through my heart. Hardening it… now I am just like… like… him!" Aliathra yelled as she pointed an accusing finger at Diaz.
"Oh shit, she knows, doesn't she?" Diaz muttered.
Now realizing what was Aliathra talking about, Samantha internally cursed herself. Getting her to cooperate is now officially the easier part of the mission. Now it is getting her to the Super Osprey that is going to be the challenge. The Heart, the Artificial Hear that they had used to save her life from that freak Magical-Magnetic accident in her selfless effort to save a child from the roguish Corpos trying to kidnap her and Iris. She had to personally rush in the Elf to Saint Lukes whilst the surgeons there attended to her. According to their words, Aliathra's heart looked like 'a well-done steak' which was just a gallows humor way of saying that her natural heart was beyond repair of any thing organic. Artificial in the other hand was readily available. Governor White had to pull some favors quickly in the background to secure a cybernetic heart for Aliathra in fear of any socio-political consequences of a missing Elf who last traveled to the 'Sky People's' city.
"You dare… you… DARE corrupt a priestess of Neneth?!?!" Aliathra shouted in hysterics.
Samantha knew she was losing her; she needs her to get back to New Albany alive or Governor White and Prince Clovich is dead. In her people to people experience and learned knowledges from her College education, Irrational People are often at that state to begin with by trying to, very desperately in their case fulfill a need.
"What do you want? We can help you." Samantha asked. She took a couple of steps forward, sheathing her rifle and holding her hands up to show she meant no harm to her.
"Don't come any closer!" Aliathra raised her bow and shifted her aim at the Lieutenant. "I…I… want my heart back. I… I can't have this… this… THING inside me!" Aliathra pointed to her chest and beated it hard with her right hand before resuming her threatening aim at Samantha's direction.
The Lieutenant would expect no less from your typical Fantasy RPG Ranger of Aliathra's apparent expertise sides her excellencies as a Cleric. She could be instantly taken a fatal shot to the head or her thighs could get punctured by Aliathra's bow if she made the Elf snap.
"I cannot do that I am afraid. Your heart was fried, burnt to a crisp back in Kesserheim. There was no point saving it. We had to give you an Artificial Heart so that you can live." Samantha tries to reason.
"To Live? How can I live when my heart is now of stone? Made not by the charitable hands of a caring Mother Goddess but by what? Some honey-mouthed rogue who mocks the very Gifts of Life and put a price on it for selfish gain? NEVER!" Aliathra defied.
"It's no use, she's gone mad." Obediah whispered in the background.
"Blame the Comet Prophecies made by those pompous cocks at the college." Iris mentions.
"You seem to hate them. What did they ever do to you?" Kayin asked.
"I rather not talk about it but I can say Devicco weren't the first people to try and burn my house down." Iris shot down.
Paying no heed to hear squadmate's ramblings, Lieutenant Rose continues to press forward with her reasoning skills. But even then, she starting to feel doubt that this scenario will end badly.
"Miss Aliathra, please listen to me. We gave you that heart for FREE. No pay, no deals, Governor White even personally paid for the heart transplant from his own pocket… I mean… purse… yeah… to save you." Samantha reasoned.
"…to SAVE me for Corruption! You are here to claim me! But no, you will not take me so easily. I will take as many of you with me. Back to the Seven Hells from whence you came just like your Demon Lord White, by now he should be vanquished from the hands of the Empire's greatest assassins in Ysanigrad we have sent to Tyr Rian. Whence he is banished, you will scatter like dust in the wind!" Aliathra boasted. Her very flowing and well-groomed hair was now loosening up to a jumbled mess of stray hair falling across her face in a complementary display of her psychotic state.
"Wait, hang the fuck a minute… 'Vanquished' and 'sending assassins to Tyr Rian'. Don't tell me that…" Crocker's clenched his fist angered at the realization of Aliathra's confession.
"I was the one who found out your Demon Lord's identity for the Grey Order to kill so your otherworldly invasion will be stopped and with you banished from Gliesia! It seems that by risking myself being corrupted when I came to New Albany and casted off to the void in Kesserheim I found your weakness. There is nothing you can do to stop us from banishing you back to Hell where you demons belong!" Aliathra taunted.
Crocker's boiling hot pot of anger from the native's blatant terrorist attack had the contrasting ingredient of amusement, the type of amusement one would feel when seeing something like a Monkey learning how to finger paint for the first time or when one see's a crazed homeless man in the street preach some insane ramblings to the silent scorn of passersby. He couldn't really figure out what he should be feeling.
Checking on to his fellow squad mates, he could see Diaz puffing up his cheeks in a bid to hold his laughter whilst in contrast Kayin's face was of capriciousness in the likes of a university professor shutting down a student's poor choices of logic. Clay, Obediah and Iris at the other hand had there faces frozen in a limbo of not knowing what or how to react to that information. But the common denominator that the squad all shared is just the ridicule how dramatically wrong Aliathra's conclusions were.
For Iris, it was Ironic for her that a 'creature of darkness' would be more enlightened than an 'enlightened one' like Aliathra. Iris knew from her entire time in service to the UFE that they were nothing but Living Saints to her and the people of Tyr Rian. Providing them multitudes of new things, ideas and concepts that made even the lowliest pesant to the highest of Nobles stand up together.
What did the Elves and the Empire had brought? Levies, Wars, Death and Taxes. They don't care about there subjects, but the UFE do.
"Of all we have been through Alianthra, you still see us these 'Demons' even after we showed you our world. Tell me, what 'Demonic' thing that we have done to make us like them?" Samantha asked her.
"You fight without honor! Your presence alone unease the Winds, you terrify all those who stand against you! You even dare bring Golems like Vin-sent over there! Look at him, head to toe in metal with no signs of life yet he calls himself 'Alive'. How very funny and witty… for a Clear Demon to boast to a devotee of Neneth." Aliathra pointed.
"Oh yeah, right a Demon… me… of course I am." Diaz scoffed it off before stepping forward.
"Get back in line soldier, let me handle this." Samantha said.
"You can't talk for shit with some cray-cray Lieutenant. I am no stranger to Mexican Standoffs, let me handle her." Diaz reassured her.
"I can just end it all right here and there… I can paralyze her with one of my spells." Iris whispered.
"No, you won't she might hurt you with her Holy Magics or whatever she got." Kayin interrupted her out of concern.
"Oh, your can be such a Knight in Shining armor to me Kayin but I can handle this one." Iris stopped him before she prepared a magical spell on her hands.
Overhearing the dialogue with her sensitive ears, Aliathra drew her bow further, ready to pierce all or at least most of the demons with her. She was ready to die fighting for she had nowhere else to go but north to the more primal regions of Ysanigrad.
"Sacaje-Snow White, if this Elf didn't learn jack shit from what kind of shit you gotta see in Kesserheim then I pray to God Almighty you did. Let.Me.Handle.This. Her spells will hurt you but not us." Diaz emphasized as he stepped forward from Samantha's back as he positioned himself between Samantha and Aliathra's tense drawing stance.
"You want to fight a 'Demon' Elfy-Baby? Well here I am! Fully casted 'Metal Demon' for your eyes only." Diaz opened his arms wide boisterously.
"Is this some sort of trick?" Aliathra gnashed her teeth at Diaz's display.
"Trick? More like a Deal… us Demons like making them amirite?" Diaz proposed with the fakest smile he could muster.
"What kind?" Aliathra, with not much options but death or dishonor listened in when someone like her, a Cleric devoted to Neneth and a Princess of the virtuous Lareththor family would normally shoot down a Contract with a demon with much disgust.
"A Duel, me and you. One-on-One, nobody else. You win by smiting me back to the 7 Hells and my friends will follow me and you can go free. LOSE in the other hand, and you will become my… ehm… Soul-Bounded… uh… Slave… uh… peon thrall thing… Girl Toy? Maybe, I got a thing for Blondes any ways." Diaz challenged.
"Ha! I accept!" Aliathra nodded. "Aea Galad Maxima!" the Elf conjured her Arrows into a brilliant light breeming with Holy Energies that made Iris who was in the back, sweating in fear. It was an Anathema to a Vampire like her. But she still held on to the reassurance of the UFE that they do not fear the Magic that people like her and Aliathra can call forth.
"Begone!" Aliathra roared as she fired the Holy Arrow at Diaz.
His demeanor focused, Diaz activated his Rapid Movement boosters and caught the arrow in mid air from five meters away. It was an impressive display of Aparo Corporation's technological prowess in engineering.
The magical arrow crumbled as Diaz clenched the caught shaft as it faded to dust from his hands.
"Was that best you can do?" Diaz smugly smiled. He made it visibly clear to the Elf that he was in no way shape or form that he was being physically harmed by the magically enhanced arrow.
"Oh I can do much more." Aliathra answered. She sheathed her bow and raised her hands up to the sky and rallied her faith in the Gods.
"Smite Undead!" she cried.
A beam of light descended from the dark sky that was slowly beginning to make rainfall as the light shone on Diaz illuminating him in a blinding light.
The rest of Stryder Gasps as the covered their eyes.
When the light faded away, Diaz still remained standing, but now his legs were loosened with his left leg forward in a tip toe whilst his right foot was bended over. Then the most ridiculous moment happened, Diaz began to thrust his hips and dance. Playfully kicking and turning around whilst seductively thrusting his hip to the beat. It kind of reminded Samantha of the famous pop star Michael Jackson. Albeit, Vincent, despite his physical augmentations to his legs does a rather crude moon walk in comparison to the old music videos she had seen of the proclaimed 'King of Pop'.
"She was more like a Galadriel, the Elven queen, from that Lord of the Rings movie scene. ~~~" Diaz began to sing in a mocking tone directed at Aliathra.
It got to say the least upon everyone else in that forest beyond any reasonable thought of the realms of confusion.
"She said her name was Aliathra and she reminds me of Billy Jean, cuz she always cause a scene. And I say 'I am the one'.~~~" Diaz continued to sing.
"What are you doing? What the Hell are you doing?" Samantha asked, her pulse rising at Diaz's cavalier action.
"The art of confusion my dear." Diaz smiled back before turning back to the Elf. "We now dance on this floor this round; cuz this Elf doesn't know what's coming abound. ~~~" he sang and dance to the steps of Billie Jean.
Retaining her focus, Aliathra decided to conjure another spell.
"I Exorcize you!" Aliathra said as a rune of light erupted from Diaz's feet as he continued to dance and sing without feeling any sort of discomfort or concern.
"And my fellow 'Demons' always reminded me what to do, be ready to steal ungrateful girls hearts.~~~" Diaz mocked Aliathra's predicament yet again.
The Elf, now tearing up at his breaking words was now at the brink of a total Mana Exhaustion as her magical energies were being vented out by her Holy Spells which were some of the most consuming spells one can cast from the Restoration School.
But she had one card left on her hand, a spell she saves for the most desperate of measures.
"Face my greatest Spell! Radiant Drain!" Aliathra gathered her last of her reserves and casted at Diaz.
Diaz felt a gripping force grab him but it felt like seamless smoke to him as he spun around to Aliathra.
Despair filled the Elf as she pulled out her Knife in a last-ditch attempt to defend herself.
"Stand back… I… will kill you with my bare hands!" Aliathra cried. Tears fell from her eyes.
But Diaz was too quick on his Rapid Movement Boosters, he dashed towards Aliathra whilst still in his absent world of music and quickly disarmed her but not before cradling her forward like a lover in the end of a long tango.
"Aliathra, known as Billie Jean knows I am the one and oh I won!" Diaz mockingly declared his victory.
Defeated, Exhausted and Mentally broken beyond belief and sanity, Aliathra loosened her muscles.
"Do it quickly… have all of your dozens of fellow Demons have their way with me now…" Aliathra yielded.
"Dozens of us? But it's just the seven of us…" Diaz broke out of his playful tune to be caught in himself a moment of confusion.
"There you are Demon Scum!" a feminine voice erupted from the forest as dozens of Slaegian militia men-at-arms and Elven Sefydliad agents surrounded Stryder group.
"Hand over the girl and…by the Gods! The Demons are in league with the Vampires too!" a woman with brunette hair pointed her magical staff at them.
"That's not happening." Samantha answered.
"Iris, what are those people over there? Look like elves to me but they look special." Clay pointed.
"They are the Ethuilen Sefydliad. A group of spies, agents and mages who perform subterfuge in the name of King Aslanidor Lareththor of the Ethuilen Elves. They must be here for us I am sure. They always have their knife ears everywhere." Iris explained.
From what feint energy she had left, Aliathra saw to her horror and relief that her old friend Lyndis was standing strongly and proudly before her right now. If circumstances were different, she would have retreated on her back but then she remembered why Lyndis was there. For her head.
"Hand over the Elf, that disgusting creature over there and surrender yourselves by the name of both the Slaegian Empire and the Ethuieln Entente!" Lyndis demanded.
"Oh that's not very nice… It's just an Australian." Diaz comedically tried to remove the tension but to no avail as the Sefydliad agents aimed their weapons at Stryder.
"Fine… I give up…" Diaz raised his hands in surrender. "Suckers!" Diaz quickdraw Ruiner from his pockets and snapshot a Slaegian Militia man.
"Weapons Hot!" Samantha ordered.
Stryder Group drew their weapons and fired back at the interlopers as they fumbled for cover in the Cambervale Forest.
"Protect the Asset at all costs!" Crocker yelled.
"I got 4 Tangoes on our 3-o clock! Can't get a shot." Clay yelled.
"Got it! Got it! Firing." Obediah acknowledged.
Samantha doved down to the floor as she crawled frantically to a tree stump as arrows, bolts and magical missiles whizzed pass her.
"Command this is Stryder Group. We got the package but we are currently engaged by Natives who are trying to retrieve the package for themselves." Samantha radioed in.
"Affirmative Lieutenant, get your team to extraction now." Colonel Polonsky ordered.
"You got to make it quick. The Storm is going to make it impossible to fly around safely at this weather and I am about to reach Bingo Fuel. You got 3 Minutes to get to the extraction point. Relaying it to you know." Captain Kaprelian radioed in.
Samantha checked her squad who were now all looking towards her for orders. Their eyes stared at her soul, now counting on her to get them out of this hairy situation. Diaz was safely tucking away Aliathra behind a tree whilst the rest of her squad were pinned down or laying their head low on what meager grass that could cover their heads.
"Throw Smoke and Suppressing Fire!" Samantha ordered.
"Get ready to run Iris." Kayin told the Vampire witch as he pulled out a Smoke Grenade and unpinned the canister before throwing it at the direction where there was the most amount of opposition firing away at them.
"Suppressing!" Crocker roared as he unleashed a hailstorm of bullets from his Machine Gun.
"Go!" Clay yelled as Stryder Group emerged from cover and bailed out of there.
Lyndis meanwhile was undeterred by the strange magics of the Otherworlders. Despite seeing firsthand her men being cut down by the Demon's weapons, her resolve remained intact. Stoically, she ordered everyone to give chase. The smoke grenade that erupted in front of her did well in slowing them down as even she stumbled once on the confusing air that the Otherworlders casted upon her.
Stryder Group ran through the forest to the edge where a clearing large enough for Captain Kaprelian's Super Osprey can extract them. Firing back further impede their pursuers.
Angered that failure, a number one concept that a Sefydliad is not known for, Lyndis readied ordered her mages to impede their prey back using the forrest terrain to their advantage.
"Cast Thunderwave on the Trees! Don't let them escape." Lyndis ordered.
The mages refocused their staffs and aimed at the trees closest to Stryder Group and fired away a thunderous force that disrupted the physical equilibrium of the material world so greatly that the trees began to detach themselves like a head decapitated from an axes blade, falling down chaotically at the Squad. They know that if they don't stop them now, that giant Iron Dragon in the sky will fly them out of there beyond there reach.
One such tree the mages shot down in particular and of a very thick build, fell upon Diaz who was dragging Aliathra by the arm…
"No! Shit!" Diaz cried as the Tree fell on Aliathra pinning her legs and crashing the Elf to the ground.
"Ahhh!!!" Aliathra screamed as her legs were crushed by the heavy weight of the fallen Tree Trunk.
Diaz tried to lift up the tree but he wasn't strong enough alone to free the Elf as she desperately tried to claw her way free.
"Guys! HELP!" Diaz yelled.
The rest of Stryder group turned around, a few dozen meters away from the sanctuary of Kaprelian's Super Osprey Ramp to run back to their comrade and the Priority Asset.
Crocker and Kayin helped Diaz lift up the log whilst Clay reached out to Aliathra's arms readying to pull her up.
Meanwhile, Samantha, Obediah and Iris cover held their ground against the approaching tide of antagonistic natives, with Samantha being able to land a rifle bullet, in her perspective, a clear head shot to the brunette-haired leader of the Sefydliad at her right eye. She saw her hit the floor clutching her wound and with some reassurance that that Elven Spy agent of whatever stays that way.
"She's out! Let's go." Crocker tapped Samantha on the shoulder.
Clay was now carrying the wounded Elf who on accounts to Diaz and Crocker, were observed that her legs were absolutely crushed with some bones sticking out and torn muscle dangling aimlessly in the wind. She needed first aid quick.
"Hurry! I need go now." Kaprelian radioed in.
Stryder painstakingly in all of their present roster plus their K9 Companion who assisted them in that mission boarded the Super Osprey just as it was about to take off.
One of the Slaegian Militia soldiers tried to grab on the ramp as it closes but his fingers were crushed and severed by the hydraulic presses of the ramp as he fell 50 feet to his death leaving their Pursuers left into the dust and now brewed up storm that on schedule barrage them with rain and gale winds.
"Extraction successful." ISAC spoke through the K9 Drones speaker.
"It… that… dog…can ta---" Aliathra eyes stared at the robot dot before she began to shook violently as her body was laid to the medical stretcher that the Super Osprey had in case of injury.
"Subject is going into shock. First Aid must be applied immediately." The Dog turned to the Elf.
"Damnit we are losing her! Get me disinfectant, splints and a bandage now!" Crocker roared.
One of the Door Gunners of Kaprelian's Super Osprey nodded and ran towards the first aid kit and grabbed what Crocker ordered before quickly running back with them.
Crocker frantically applied the medical items on Aliathra's legs whilst Samantha, with her flashlight checked her eyes out to make sure she was staying conscious.
"Hey, don't go out on us. We can fix you." Samantha reassured the Elf as Aliathra began to fade out from blood loss.
"Damage Report: Subjects injuries are too extreme to be treated with casting bandages. Unidentified substance detected in the subject's wounds. Calculating Antibiotic success rate, 1.0047 percent." The K9 announced in ISAC's voice.
"What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?" Crocker demanded the K9 for something that could give the Elf a chance for survival.
"Highest chance of Subject's Recovery. Amputation." ISAC said coldly.
"No way…" Obediah said.
"Haven't she suffered enough under those knives of yours?" Iris objected.
"We have no choice… Obediah, get your knife out. Crocker, hold her legs still." Samantha ordered.
"God forgive me… God forgive us all…" Obediah pulled his knife out. Large Bowie knife that he uses to skin animals that he hunts but never had it tasted the blood and flesh of a human… or humanoid in the case of Aliathra, being.
He rested the sharp edge of the knife Aliathra's right leg readying himself for the painful scene as Samantha placed the splint of wood on the Elf's mouth as sedatives were handed out to her and Crocker in order to save the Elf's life.
"Here goes…" Obediah reluctantly said as he began to saw through the marred legs of the only Hope for Peace between the UFE and Gliesia.
---------------------------------
Aliathra violently rose from the bed she laid on only to be yanked down by a bindings that pinned her hands on the bed's edge.
She tried to writhe her way out but to her horror she felt an airy sensation on her legs or the sensation of nothingness. She tried to bend her knees' but her body didn't respond appropriately to the command.
"You filthy demons? Is this your idea of torture? Tying me down on this bed?" Aliathra screamed.
Her room was white and unremarkable save for a door with a small window that had light shone past it.
"The truth is between you and me, I am no fan of Torture. Never was and I didn't even have a say in having you like this." A voice answered.
"Show yourself!" the Elf demanded.
The door creaked open as a lone figure walked out of it. It was the familiar soft motherly or in some accounts big sisterly and kind face of Dr. Lee Haneul.
"Hello again Aliathra." The Doctor said.
"No… your just in some sort of disguise… you can't be real… nothing is real… I can't be real…" Aliathra teared up.
Her mental defenses of rationality were all demolished. The humiliation from Diaz, the ostracization from her fellow Elves and allies and the fact that Lyndis will most likely inform her family that she has been devoured by the 7 Hells and her image has been made form by one of the demons who now walks the northern parts of the Cambervale Valley.
"No, its me again. I wish I can come here and give you a pat to the head but the Major told me you are dangerous." The Korean-descended woman explained.
"I am no longer… a danger anymore… my Mana… all run out and now you took my soul here… in the Seven Hells… I… I was expecting screaming… a symphony… of agony… but… there's only silence…" Aliathra said.
"Oh dear, oh my, your poor girl…" the Doctor couldn't help her mandated restraint anymore.
Against her orders not to physically handle the Elf she walked up to her at her bed and gently caress her messy blonde hair. The Doctor's strokes held a fostering sensation to Aliathra that relieved her stress and tension.
"Doctor, I told you are NOT to physically interact with the prisoner." A booming voice echoed.
Out of the open, it was none other than Major Elias Holyfield walking inside the room, he was in a standard military under shirt and pants as he begrudgingly folded his arms together at the unplanned scene before him.
After Stryder Group brought back to base a Legless Aliathra, the Major had a fitful of disciplinarian shouts at the squad before he was calmed down by the collected reasonings of Colonel Polonsky. After a quick bite from Iris' special 'Blood Memory' trick and was given the full context of the Elf's complete and uncensored background he and Dr. Lee Haneul devised a carefully well thought off plan to secure her loyalty but thanks to the Good Doctor's religious dogmatism to the Hippocratic Oath, the plan went off the rails. And he was so looking forward showing the Elf the Zeus Missiles intimidating powers.
"Major, please this requires a soft handed approach. Besides, we are dealing with Royalty afterall." Haneul told him back.
"You… know… I…" Aliathra began to panic as she tried to shake her hips out to free her from her restraints.
The Lareththor bloodline was a carefully plotted out eugenics' bloodline between some of the greatest minds and most potent of Magical Users the world had ever seen, political marriages between the family were all screened for any impurities and anomalies of family lines to create the best possible offspring for every generation. If the Demons have her, they could exploit her God given bloodline for their own nefarious ends.
"No! Don't… turn me… into… one of you!" Aliathra screamed.
"Now look at what you done Major. Calm down please Miss Lareththor we are only here to----" the doctor attempted to restrain her but the elf shook violently.
"You corrupted me… through my heart. I AM TURNING INTO A DEMON NOW!" she cried.
"So… you're a Demon now huh Miss Lareththor? So that means your evil? Well then…" Holyfield now thought out of a new improvised plan.
He went to the bed and untied the bindings on the Elf's arms. Immediately after her restraints were removed, Aliathra attempts to claw the Major but he swiftly backs away before he could scratch her. In desperate anger for the very battle of her soul, she climbs out of the bed ready to fight him with her bear fist and not give the dark-skinned man the satisfaction of a helpless cattle for the Demon to have his way with. But as her body left the boundaries of the bed, she fell down carelessly to the cold white floor.
"Why… can't I stand uuu---" Aliathra questioned only to turn around her body to see that in her horror that here legs were absent with only the traces of bloodied bandages that filled the void of where her legs were supposed to be.
"What did you… do to me?!?!" Aliathra crawled towards the Major but due to her disabled state, Holyfield can just out pace the elf by walking alone.
Seeing that giving chase to the man was futile, the Elf lay her face on the floor and placed her hands on her eyes as she began to sob.
Holyfield now got the Elf where he wanted her. Broken and now looking for a ray of hope, a way out, just looking for some way to not end up like this forever (plus taking into account the Elves' exorbitant life spans). But as he approached the Elf, he noticed the pale and worrisome face of Dr. Lee Haneul who stared at the Major with her almond eyes. They hang between the thread of hope of a humane ending and the despondent possibility of a cruel conclusion to this ordeal. They know that this elf is there only hope for a chance of Peace… and it now fell to him how the peace it was achieved.
In his entire long career, the Major was infamous for his cruelty, his callousness in the face of repression and hardened heart but to see the results of his display of intimidation first hand in a whole different angle of an Alien being who shared no political, economic or social links to the myriad strifes the UFE juggle (and consequently he also too) everyday made him stop.
He recalled his colleague in this assignment, Colonel Polonsky, imploring him that he has to learn when to deviate from his usual methods for the sake of the integrity of the Colony's survival which was his mandate through and through and he swore to honor to the death.
"Polonsky… you are right on this one…" Holyfield murmured as a CCTV camera which so happens to be observing the room connected to Colonel Polonsky's command terminal was having a live view of the event being transpired at that moment.
Elias picked up his Tablet and saw a video of a demonstration of the Zeus Missiles he was planning to threaten use on Aliathra's nation of Alfel Nora if she doesn't comply. He pressed the trashcan icon next to the video deleting off the face of the Tablets data storage. Instead, he switched to another video instead, one he keeps for sentimental purposes. He played it and sat down on the floor showing the video near Aliathra's cradled and tangled head.
"Surprise!" the voice of a Holyfield roared causing the Elf to recoil at the sudden spike of volume that erupted on her ears.
She saw the video and noticed that there were people moving on it. All were screaming as their eyes fixated on the strange vision that she was presented. She shuddered as the elf heard the people scream but as she was about to cower again with her still attached arms another voice echoed from the 'Magic Mirror'.
"Oh baby, I missed you so much!" a rather hoarse feminine voice said.
That sentence confused the Elf, people screaming shouldn't be saying 'I miss you'. She turned her eyes back into the screen of the 'Magic Mirror' and saw that arms were erupted upon the edges of the screen as it began to warmly embrace the various dark-skinned figures who were all gathered up in what she can describe as a very warmth filled hearth.
"You are back! I can't believe you are here Honey." A tall and curvy woman with dreadlocks approached the screen and was embraced by the arms near the edges of the screen.
"What is with the Go Pro cousin?" another man of an obese build and similar skin tone approached the man.
"I'm a keep all of this when I get back to work. I pulled a lot of favors just so I can see you guys for Christmas today… and only today." Holyfield's voice said.
Aliathra concluded that the man recording this… 'Memory' was Holyfield himself who she saw was softly smiling at the memories being displayed before them.
"You are only here for one day dad?" a small boy in the video approached Holyfield.
"Just for my Family… all of you." Holyfield said.
"So… Aliathra of House Lareththor. You have family, right? A brother, an older sister and your parents?" Holyfield turned to her.
"Yes…I… would do everything to… be with them again… I feel… so alone… What… Sin… did I do… to deserve… this? My heart, my legs, my… Mind?" Aliathra asked.
"Nothing my dear… you didn't do anything wrong… or at least not in the worst of senses…" Dr. Lee Haneul said.
"What happened? Do… you… have to power to turn me back? Purify my soul?" Aliathra begged, a ray of hope sparked within her.
"This choice is up to you Miss Aliathra. I will ask you first a question. Were you involved in anyway to the attack in Tyr Rian? The one using the poison?" Holyfield asked.
"The Demon Bane flower? Yes… I was told there were casualties… I… you… want me to cure it?" Aliathra asked.
"Yes. You see several of the people afflicted with the poison are deeply involved in a peace and friendship agreement. We only want to be left in peace and live together with you Gliesians at no cost to anything unless you want it to be. Land for Gold? Land for Technology? Land for Security? We the United Federation of Earth can do so many things for you. All you have to say is…"
"Yes… just... please… make me whole again! I want peace… it is all we Elves ever really want!" Aliathra gave in.
"That's what I like to hear… Doctor? Proceed with the surgery." The Major turned to Haneul.
"Surgery? Am I… going to be getting my heart back?" Aliathra asked.
"Oh no, I just want you to be up on your feet by the time you leave this room. You have a lot of work ahead of you if you want to 'purify your soul'." Holyfield stood up as he brushed off his clothes as he made a gesture to leave.
"But I have no legs." Aliathra stated the obvious.
"Exactly. Here." Holyfield said as a team of doctors rushed inside the room carrying a tool kit filled with surgery items and machinery.
"You will get a new pair of legs my dear. We were quite lucky to get these prosthetic legs of your exact skin color… although… your feet won't be EXACTLY the same anymore." Dr. Lee Haneul presented Aliathra's new pair of legs as the Elf Princess was carried gently back to her now being hastily sterilized bed in preparation for her surgery.
They were indeed the same exact skin color of her porcelain white skin but what betrayed its artificial nature was the 'foot'. It was made by obsidian metal that was curved with a hook and split on the end like a lizard's tongue.
"Made from a Diamond and Titanium alloy. The good news at least for you is that you don't have to worry about remembering to clip your toenails or have crazy boys ask for your feet pics online… yeesh." Dr. Lee Haneul explained.
"Will I be… okay… with being with you… 'Demon People'?" Aliathra asked the doctor. Her childlike instincts retreated to the Doctor for shelter.
"No, we are not De---, Yes… you will be safe with us. Now… inhale and sleep… this will take awhile to get these legs of your attached." the kind doctor reassured as she placed a transparent mask over the Elf's nose and mouth.
The anesthesia was administered as the drugs entered into the Elf's body.
Her last conscious thoughts were divided between the fate of her soul will be like after she wakes up and what is happening to her family back home