Samantha had to be split with her squadmate Iris Cadohagan or now more formally, Specialist Cadohagan when they have recently summoned their presence at the Police Headquarter of New Albany. They were looking forward to having time to themselves for some rest and relaxation and to also discuss what their plans are for tackling Dr. Mahelona's research-related requests.
"Polonsky? We're here." Samantha saluted with a natural gesture of her hands whilst Iris, still new to the whole Military Discipline meekly and quickly followed.
"Good, each of you got two different tasks that you are only able to complete," Polonsky said. "Lieutenant, I am assigning Aliathra Lareththor to your unit and I need you to brief her on the rules she has to follow," Polonsky informed Samantha.
"Why? I am already Happy with Iris already. Why would I need another one?" Samantha asked.
"Why let her in? I can handle things quite well with my Magics." Iris enviously slighted.
"According to both of your profiles… or at least what ISAC says about the Elf, is that you Miss Cadohagan and Miss Lareththor abilities are complimentary of each other," Polonsky explained.
"Complimentary? But she is just a snooty Elf princess." Iris scoffed at the idea.
"Well, your 'Snooty Elf' has displayed and boasted abilities from Fields of Magic that you couldn't do. Restoration, Illusion, and Alteration. Additionally, she seems to share a well-educated knowledge of the Politics and Anthropology of everything here in Gliesia, and its only best she will be assigned to you. Besides Lieutenant, you needed a Combat Lifesaver in your squad since the beginning of your Tour."
Samantha had to admit that the Colonel was correct.
"But can we trust the Elf?" the Lieutenant asked.
"She has nowhere to go but her loyalty to her homeland is still without a doubt somewhere still inside her. Her interests is to her fellow Elves well-being. Its just that her perspective of everything… of us has changed. You NEED to be there for her." Polonsky said.
"Be there for what?"
"Be there to give her a hand. Explain, Comfort, Discipline. She may not be like Iris, but she has great potential to be able to help us get out of this mess." Polonsky answered. "And speaking about that, Iris, you are needed at the Basement. Inspector Reid been trying to crack the 'Crow' we have captured but she wouldn't budge. I need you to perform that… ehm… bite thing with the memory reading you can do." Polonsky ordered the Vampire.
"Oh, that sounds actually fun." She smiled coyly. It was essentially a free meal for the Vampire Witch. "Farewell Red, I am going to have what you earthlings call 'Snack Time'." She bid goodbye as she eagerly skirted to the Basement.
"So where is Aliathra?" Samantha asked.
"Conference room, Upstairs, not closed interrogation room this time. We are trying to show some goodwill for her by NOT treating her as a prisoner. Even though she technically is one." Polonsky said. "You are essentially her Political Officer, just like how you have to treat Diaz."
"Roger that," Samantha said.
She was rather disturbed by the fact that the Elf Woman was to be treated like a Penal Soldier since most of the time, Penal Soldiers were treated as expendable assets in times of battle. The poor Elf suffered a lot but if she wants to uplift herself from this predicament, she has to pay with her mind, body, and soul. Samantha might give the Elf some leniency in comparison to her suspicions with Vincent Diaz despite his connections with Aparo Megacorporation bankrolling a huge piece of New Albany's equipment, bankrolls, and labor.
Climbing upstairs directly leads to the Conference Room which was situated atop and overlooking the main office space of the Police Headquarters. Samantha can see the glimpse of Aliathra who sat quietly at the chair closest to the projector screen flowing yellow hair with an elegant braid crowning her head's perimeter. She was staring blankly at the empty white projector screen silently before her ears twitched to the sound of Sam's ascending footsteps.
"Greetings, Princess." Samantha introduced herself.
"I… don't think I will be called that anymore." Aliathra said sadly.
"Don't be too harsh on yourself. You didn't know."
"But THEY still do not! My Family, my Country, my People. I know for a certain that they know that I am now no longer pure of heart…" the Elf Teared up.
"Define Pure of Heart?" Samantha asked.
"To be good and kind to Neneth's Children without guilt, shame nor stain. That was I was told." Aliathra said.
"Which is to be good for the sake of being good?" Samantha philosophizes.
"Indeed. But… now… my heart is tainted… by the flesh of Iron. I am not pure…" she sulked.
"If a sick man ran to you and begs you to heal him would you do it even if he has no way of paying for your work?" Samantha threw at the Elf.
"Uhm… Yes, I would. That Neneth teaches charity. I have seen many on my travels or on the accounts of my teachers of many colonies and ghettos filled with many of Afflicted." Aliathra said.
"If say… a large man was seen beating a… child. Would you intervene even if the large man can easily overpower you?" Samantha said.
"As the Scrolls say 'Children are a heritage from the All-Mother, offspring a reward from her. Whoever shows grace to Neneth's creations receives her grace back.' ." the Elf recited.
"One more Miss Lareththor. You found out… that one day that something you thought was the truth turns out to be wrong, would you try to correct those who thought of otherwise?" Samantha asked.
That third question struck the Elf the hardest. She had no response for about a minute. She sulked down, her hands on her temples as she gnashed her teeth silently before she dared speak again.
"Where did I go wrong? Am I wrong? I should be Evil! I… how can I be? Pure? My heart is not. I am everything that the Temple hates. I have the flesh of 'Demons'." Aliathra wailed.
Samantha emphatically placed her hand on the elf back and caressed it softly to comfort her.
"You are not evil Aliathra, you are just confused. You said that you would protect the child and help the sick man for free. That is not evil at all." Samantha said.
"How can I face my parents? They would be horrified if they see me alongside the likes of you."
"Why are you doing this? Spying on us?" Samantha asked.
"I wanted to make my parents proud. I am the youngest in my family… my sister, my brother, they all did something that made them the Stars in my parents' eyes. I haven't done anything to get that, but now… I will never do…" Aliathra cried.
"Then there's nowhere to go but up now isn't it? You can still help us and if any of your elves try to kill you, we will be there. But you need to cooperate." Samantha said.
The Elf still brooded her face down on her hands on the conference table, irresponsive to Samantha's words. From the Lieutenant's studies on stress-related afflictions, Aliathra is suffering through a state of Denial.
Rose placed her hand on the Elf's back and caressed it gently before the Lieutenant took a deep breath and let go her authoritative pitch to a more emphatic one.
"I know you are still depressed about what happened to your body but look at the bright side, at least you are still alive," Samantha said assuredly.
"I don't know whether I should accept this fate or not. I am now a monster that everyone in Ysanigard and Afel-Nora will want to eradicate off the face of Gliesia. Now, I have no choice but to betray my home and conspire with the UFE just to keep on living. I feel conflicted about… my own being now." Aliathra responded with her voice distorted by the reverberations of soundwaves bouncing off unnaturally from her moping position.
"Why you are still keeping that stupid mindset Aliathra?" Samantha frowned. She was starting to get sick of hearing those 'Demonic' Accusations laid on her and to those on behalf of the UFE.
"You are still YOU, even with those cybernetic parts. You ought to know by now that those artificial body parts cannot corrupt you because it doesn't have any magic to begin with by your logic. So, your soul is still 'pure' in a sense. That means you can still do your duty as a Priestess of Nen--- whatever her name is no offense to you. You always use your magical talents and kindness to relieve people from their suffering. Healing people is one of the most noble professions back where I come from. My Mother, her name is Godeliève, she is a Nurse. Served in the same ship where she met father. She always visits everyone who came into the infirm--- Hospice… eh… place where you send people to if they are sick." Samantha awkwardly coughed when she began to talk about her mother.
Her more soft-handed approach got the Elf to rise up from her ashamed posture as she can now see her azure ocean eyes.
"I think about this a lot and I feel there is some truth behind it. I still feel that these unnatural limbs are wrong." Aliathra said.
"Can I ask? Can restoration magic makes people like Aria, who was born crippled be cured to walk like normal humans do?" Samantha asked.
"Restoration magic has its limit as it cannot fix people who are born as disabled or injuries that are too severe to recover like loss of limbs or crippling damages. The fundamental of restoration magic is that it restores living beings and only living beings to their original form. However, if the body of a being is not born whole or receiving injuries that are not making them whole again, no amount of restoration magic cannot restore it since the life force of an un-whole body parts cannot exist to restore. That is why I was so horrified by Diaz. He is neither alive, dead nor undead as we would call it yet I know that there's some life in him but it so wildly different that it might not be even be called 'life' anymore." Aliathra explained.
"You just prove my point that our metal body parts are superior to restoration magic since it can cover the weakness of restoration magic by fixing natural-born disable people or people who become cripple due to serious injuries. Hang on, I think I can show you something to prove it to you." Samantha said.
She grabbed her smartphone and logged into Youtube. On the search bar, she tapped in 'Paralympic Runner' and entered. She scrolled down and looked for a brief but impactful video to show until she found something she was looking for.
"Take a look." Samantha turned her Smartphone to the Elf.
The video played of a man on his four limbs but his left foot which was of a similar prosthetic design of bent steel in a caricature of a humanoid food but with the formed steel of cold metal. His opposite sided limb on the other hand (or foot) was a natural, flesh and blood 5-toed foot.
A loud gun fired that Aliathra found similar to the metal staffs the Otherworlders wield. Upon the gun's discharge, the Paralympian sprang from the tips of his feet off the ground and ran. The Elf could feel every lithe step the agile man took as he flew through the field like a proud stallion free on his feet.
"As you can see, this man when he was still a young boy got into an accident that made him lose one of his legs." Samantha demonstrated.
"And so he got these new metal ones that you BUILT. With tools and mineral rocks?" Aliathra asked.
Samantha nodded.
"A…A…" the Elf stuttered.
"You can say. I am here to hear you." Samantha smiled.
"Amaz—" Aliathra was about to announce her approving astonishment when the doors behind the conference room.
"Make way, Make way!" Diaz said followed by Bobby Bianchin and several of the Aparo Corporation Staff. Vincent was holding a laptop whilst another Aparo Employee was holding a modem as if they were frantically trying to get the best signal possible.
"Make way? For what?" Samantha asked.
"Money Dear girl. We got some PMC's on the line and the Metanet is shit downstairs. It's trans-stellar I tell you." Bianchin said.
The Metanet, the official term for the 2nd breed of the Internet refers to the now interplanetary world wide medium of communication that sprang from earth and rose and grew to culturally distinct clusters of nodes, circles and even their own regional slang across the entire UFE Net. Normally the word 'Metanet' is used as a formal term but behind the privacy of closed doors, everyone still calls it the Internet.
"Mercenaries? They ARE aligned with Aparo Corporation, right?" Samantha questioned.
"Yep, either subsidiaries or people who often align with us so no worries. I got an Armored Company, Rifle Corps and even an entire Cavalry Battalion of both Motorized and actual Horsies. I talk later after contracts are signed. Oh, hey sweetie you cool with us now?" Diaz said to Samantha before his lustful eye turned to the Elf.
"Cool with you?" Aliathra asked. Confused with the proposition.
"He means are we Friends now? Allies? Not Master and Slave. More of Friends who so happens to be uhm… we are the Teachers and you are the Student yeah?" Samantha explained.
"I see. I do declare yes. Of course." Aliathra reshaped her posture to a stance worthy of a princess.
"That's what I like to hear. You still like that Electronic Music by the way?" Diaz gave small talk as he set up the laptop onto an awaiting socket yet his eyes were firmly at his Commanding Officer and the Elf.
"Private Diaz, Miss Lareththor…" Samantha began to reintroduce the Elf to Diaz.
"Aliathra." The Elf paused her. "I would prefer to be called Aliathra." She insisted.
"Aliathra, this is Private Diaz. He is our… Pointman. First Man in and LAST one to get out." She said with a slight malicious tone on being 'the last one out'.
"Yes… C.O. I am compelled to agree. So Alie? If I call you that yeah? If you want to relax, we can listen to Electronic together in my car sometime. I'll bring chips and beer… or wine… whatever." Diaz said.
"Vinny! Hurry up! My Laptop is low battery before you yanked it off." Bobby incited.
"If it means giving my… Goodwill, then I shall." Aliathra bowed down.
"Damn girl, last woman who bowed down to me was this Japanese dancer who tried to stab me." Diaz snarked.
"It's called a Geisha, Diaz. And that one was meant for me. Language by the way… at least until we go out for some whiskey later." Bianchin scolded.
"Oh fine." Diaz said as he turned his eyes to the power outlet to plug in the charger of Bobby's Laptop. "I see you later you two. Oh and Obed told me we should do something for the funs as a Team soon. You ask him when ya can." Diaz informed.
"Come Aliathra, sorry for Diaz, he can be very… Roguish due to his… upbringing. Come with me to the Barracks, I would like you to meet your team now and then after that a tour of New Albany. You will be working with us and for a VERY and hopefully long time." Samantha guided.
The Elf took the red-haired woman's hand and took her first step to her new odyssey and to as the Princess hoped:
A brighter future.
-----------(Meanwhile below the New Albany Police Headquarters) ---------
An eerie silence was the only ambiance that greeted Iris as she heads downstairs to the Basement. From what she was told about the place from the few hushed whispers in isolated 'Water Cooler conversations':
'Anti-Geneva Convention'
'Abandon all hope, Ye who enters there.'
'Where no Gliesian can leave.'
It was a torture chamber. Of the lethal kind.
She was escorted downstairs where Inspector Reid, a familiar face that Iris had her own moments of acquainting herself with was there to greet you.
"Miss Cadohagan, a pleasure." Reid nodded quietly; his voice felt only in the slightest whisper.
"Inspector." Iris greeted back. "What brings me here?" the Vampire asked.
"It's that Crow we captured. We had tried everything to make her talk but she refused to speak of anything. Accomplices, Safehouses, who her Master was?" Reid explained as he guided Iris to a woman in a chair.
She was naked except down to her underwear. Her body was scarred, bruised, and every sign of the word 'abused'. It was jarring for the Vampire to see such raw viscera up close and uncensored. She wasn't the type of person to dissect animals or people, since the former was just a source of food and no more for her and the latter, is that Iris finds humanoid dissection to be disgusting, rather letting the more stronger stomach folk do all of the cutting for her. A lone light that shone iridescently like providence fell on her battered skin.
What was strange about the Torture Room was its cleanliness. The floor was pearlescent white and the walls were of a reflective silver shine from its steal walls. But the room, as she could feel in her ears felt different as if sound coming from within never finds it way out. This left a terrifying realization on her mind that the those who were tortured could scream as loud as it they could but nobody will ever hear their pleas.
"Ah, the Anomalous One is here." A man in a suit who sat across the room of the Captured Crow said.
His hands were covered in a contrasting formula of his white rubber gloves with the crimson stain of blood that whetted Iris' appetite slightly due to its freshness.
"Who might you be sir?" Iris asked the man.
"My name is not important. But everyone calls me, 'the Confessor'." The man said in a serious tone.
"Damnit, Garry stop being so cynical on our new friend please." Reid said.
"You know I am still pissed off that my vacation was cut short because… oh… 'we need someone to interrogate some human aliens in some far-off place that the state has classified.' Oh!" Garry 'the Confessor' mocked the rough and screeching voice of his superior. He stood up from his chair and pushed aside an assortment of bloodied instruments that Iris took a glance over before the shadows engulfed them completely.
She saw a wet-looking white to pinkish colored towel, an electric car battery, and a syringe. Not the normal collection of Torture Tools as Iris remembered she had to make one day an enchanted Torturer's Toolset with the properties to apply a delayed healing effect after contact with skin. The Vampire was told to never talk about what she did that day to anyone afterwards for 100 Ducats for the service and an extra 100 for her silence.
"This woman here was captured by your squad mate a Sargeant Lewis Crocker correct?" Garry asked.
Iris quietly nodded positively.
"Refused to give up anything of intelligent value to us as my colleague inspector Reid said." the Confessor continued. "And then, Reid told me about… you! A woman who can read people's minds by… and I was laughing on this one. Biting them. So, I made a bet with Reid, if I cannot get this woman to break in 3 days, he would have to call you in and I have to pay for my husband's famous Marbled Mango Cake for Reid's next Familial Care Package, shipping included." Garry said.
"I presume you---" Iris let out a few words.
"Yes, I lost unfortunately. She was tough. I hate torturing women but then again. What I read on the file she did was just pure… EEEEVVVILLLLL…." Garry interrupted with jolt of cringe.
Garry moved out of the way as he picked up the sunken face of the barely alive Crow and made it face the Vampire who stood right in front of her.
"Wake up. Wake up." Garry shook her.
The woman opened her eyes in a blur. For Ayda, she cursed herself on getting captured and all the attempts to take her own life had failed. She tried biting her tongue, letting the cold water she was forcefully made to 'sip' on drown her and the crackles of heat consume her but she always seemed to get back up from the grave as if the Demons who took her refused to let her expire so she can endure every waking moment of hell. The demons know what they want and that's her secrets and she refused to give it to them.
But when her eyes refocused, Ayda gasped in horror. It was a Vampire. The Demons had brought in the services of one of Gliesia's most reclusive and frightening people into their fray.
The legends say that the Vampires an uber-species of Humans who were altered to gain enhanced physical and arcane abilities at the cost of allergenic reaction to sun light, the appetite for blood and the usage of blood in their magical spell castings. One of the abilities that they can do was absorbing the memories of what they consume the flesh and bodily fluids of. If that monster bit her, the secrets of the Crow Organization will be compromised.
The Crow tried to wiggle away but her weakened state and Garry's burdening gripped put her in place as he necks was exposed for the vampire.
"Do what you do best Miss Cadohagan." Garry invited.
The thirst within her was given the permission as the desire of blood overwhelmed Iris. Her fangs retracted out of her canines as she lunged for the crow's neck. Her teeth pierced in as she siphoned Ayda's (who was still under the glamour on the likes of her Grandmaster Mita) blood greedily.
All the Crow could do was yelp as her consciousness fades from the blood loss.
As soon as the blood poured into her, Iris eyes began to shot up as a barrage of memories flowed into her so quickly that the Vampire was left in a daze over her skull running over itself on the information overload.
She could see faces, people, words, knowledge, etchings and other stocks that was injected into Iris' brain but couldn't decipher immediately. She needed some time to think.
As her head re attained its bearings, Iris suddenly felt to cold metal of a gun's barrel on her forehead.
"You were enjoying yourself aren't you their Vampire?" Garry cocked his pistol.
"Garry? What are you doing she is our ---" Reid protested.
"How do we know she is not lying like some Gypsy Fortune Teller?" Garry said.
"What are you talking about?" Reid asked.
"I am saying is why do I have to believe this woman can just… READ memories. Tell me what you saw? I have questions." Garry said.
"Reid, do what the Intelligence Agent says." Reid gulped fearing the repercussions if he intervened.
"Who was behind the Attacks?" Garry asked.
"The… Empire of Slaegia…" Iris tried to rummage through the new memories she absorbed.
"Why did the Empire attack the Governor?" Garry asked again.
"Because… they… are scared of him." Iris deciphered another memory. She was essentially cramming stressfully all of the nodes of the Crow's Head.
"Scared why?" Garry pushed.
"Of… your… power…" Iris responded. Her cramming soon began to take a physical toll on her. Her heart beat rapidly and her eyes began to go bloodshot in color. She was pushing herself on pain of a bullet.
"Million Dollar question. How should I believe you on all of that? Answer me!" Garry demanded.
"She is wearing a Glamour. The Crow is using an illusion!" Iris announced.
"What do you mean its an illusion? She's solid flesh and… what they hell?!?!" Reid tried to point out the absurdity only to turn around back to the prisoner to see that she has been physically changed.
From a black-haired short bob cut woman to a brunette with curls all of a sudden.
"That's… this Magic isn't it?" Garry asked.
"For you? Yes, it is." Reid said.
Garry turned away his pistol from Iris and immediately discharged one bullet at the unconscious Crow giving her finally the sweet release of death that Ayda wanted.
"We all have what we need right? The Prisoner is of no more use to the State." Garry said.
"Come Iris, I will give you some thing to shake that ache of yours." Reid apologized.
"I will catch up with you. I need to make a call first before I dispose of the cadaver.' Garry coldly told his colleagues as he picked up his phone and dialed for Major Holyfield, the man who brought him to New Albany within a short notice
-----------(About several kilometers upwards in the clouds above the Slaegian Empire------
"Yes… I see.... so it is them… tell them that they will be made an example of today." Holyfield said as he ended his call with the Bureau of Interior Agent Garth 'the Confessor' De Sardet. 'Garry' to his colleagues such as his old classmate Inspector Reid.
He was brought over with him rather reluctantly from his husband's 7th anniversary Vacation under a very alarming notice but Agent De Sardet didn't earn the name 'the Confessor' for being a good boy who regrets his transgression. He had a way of making stubborn people talk.
His call to him as he flew the skies of Gliesia confirmed his suspicions after the Crow squealed. The Slaegian Empire was behind the attack. He found it abhorring that they would dare do such a cowardly attack on civilians and their own subjects too over an obvious ploy for peace. But alas, there efforts were too disruptive that the Law of Newton's motion action say that there due for an equally disruptive reaction.
If it were up to him, he would call in a show of force with a barrage of missiles to flatten the city but it would look horrible on his record if he every explicitly gave such a sociopathic order. Instead he needs to show a resemblance of mercy. A chance for the Primitive Natives that they could redeem themselves.
"Major, we have arrived at our destination." Admiral Nishizaki said.
"Give me a camera feed Rainbow-1's view on the city." The Major Ordered.
His Commander's Interface immediately uplinked to the camera feed of the Airstrike team's camera giving him a high definition view of the Slaegian Capital of Haringpoint in the flesh and stone. The capital was a remarkable city when seen in first glance. Like a mixture of some Baroque and Elven construction that made the port city a crossroads between the Human and Elven worlds. The cityscape was harmonious like a mall's TV display. But the load roars of the Aurora's engines would soon break that peaceful scene.
"Unicorn and Pegasus Squadron begin mission. Take out all of the designated targets and wait for further instructions. Together!" Holyfield radioed. He knew his men were some of the best drilled and well-planned Pilots in all of UFE Space. Perfection of Execution was what got the airmen of the Aurora to be the stories of legends to other pilots everywhere.
"Affirmative Den Father. Beginning mission." Rainbow Squadron's lead airman Unicorn-1 said. His team is in charge of bombardments.
There mounts for this sortie is the heavy lifting Close Air Support plane the A-25 Dragoon again for its devastating carriage of ordinances such as its Minigun and Guided Penetration bombs. Everything needed for a quick, precise yet devastating strike.
"Pegasus-1 looking for a fight." The Pegasus leader said.
Her squadron is in charge of protecting Unicorn Squadron from any interceptors that the Slaegians might have as a countermeasure against flying opponents, however primitive it maybe. Plus, they are also been equipped to provide saturation fire against any surface to air targets with their Rocket Batteries attached to their nimble Multi-role planes the V-96 Locust.
"Firing!" Rainbow-1 said as he shot down and instantly sank one of the Slaegian Navy's patrol boats as it was indicated by the Drone's reports.
They are after military targets and military targets only. Anything else and the squad will have to 'enjoy' reading the Geneva Convention while inside a Jail Cell.
------------(Meanwhile at the Imperial Palace) -----------
"That is unfortunate to hear." Emperor Uldin said. He leaned over his study's chair so his body was ready to absorb all of the days information.
The Sefydliad agents and the shaken but still active Mita the Grandmaster of the Crows informed the Emperor of their findings. What he conveyed was both intrigue and displeasure.
From the Crow, he had learned several key first-hand indicators of the Otherworlders' physical appearances. Human-like in their own shape but almost never leave out of their 'metal skin' that protected them from almost any blows and that's if you could get anywhere close to them in the first place since they carried staffs that shoot 'invisible thunder' that pierced their bodies with the puncture of an arrow with the heat of a miniature fireball. They seduce all those who hear with words of 'Progress', 'Prosperity', 'Wellness' and all sorts of adjectives that sounded too good to be true. They have the power to summon fire from heaven, build metal hills within a blink of an eye and all they ask is one thing: Sign a contract of friendship.
It was all too similar to the old legends of the Demonic Invasions of ancient times. Alboen making a deal with the Demons for power in exchange for boons that would rise him up to the top. This in turn made him go on a crusade of conquest around the Ysanigrad continent forcing others to kneel or be annihilated. Then Uldin's Ancestor, Caldell of the Vaikuri Clan rose up and rebelled against him. The rest of the legend was played off by the Jubilation of King Caldell every year which the Imperial Capital is still recovering from the massive consumption and spontaneous decay of such a felicitous festivity.
Next was the news from the Elven Sefydliad agents led by Lyndis. Her organization although publicly they are just the Diplomatic Wing of the Ethuilen Entente what is known behind the closed doors of every political establishment as it was also a front for Espionage. There was an agreement his great grandfather had made with the Elves that states about a limited yet proportionate exchange of intelligence between themselves. Yet there were some whispers amongst his own spies that the Elves speak in Half-Truths or only speak the truth if they just want the Slaegians to do some of their own dirty work for them.
From what Lyndis told him, the Elven Princess, Aliathra Lareththor was missing after she came made the most advances in the progress of examining the Otherworlders. Talks of her having to 'commune' with the Demons fell on his ears softly but like kisses of fire it made him even more fearful of what these Otherworlders were capable of.
For Uldin's own investigations, he had sent word to many of his spies to relay messages to the Legionnaire Fortresses closest to Tyr Rian but only a handful of those he had assigned the task to returned to tell the story of the legion fortress simply disappearing. Did the Demon's have something to do with this?
"My heart was not in the Jubilation because of these… these… Demons in Tyr Rian. I cannot believe that Prince Clovich would just happily kneel down to these barbarians and fall into their 'miracles'. Absurd to think they can all do that." Uldin said.
"If I may milord. The Missing Princess, Aliathra was last… seen in Cambervale Valley as it was ready to return to further scout the Otherworlders. Her reports were most troubling if what she says is true of 'Metal Beasts' and their Magics then we must be ready to counteract with these Demons with our Holy Weapons and Spells." Grandmaster Owyne advised.
"That might work but not to the same degree as you would expect Grandmaster." Lyndis informed. "I saw the princess attempt to cast several Holy Spells beforehand on a group of Demons but to no avail. It is to my hypothesis that they may have created some sort of resistance to their own Anathema."
"She is only one Elf. Besides, Restoration Spells were meant to be used in groups." Owyne argued.
"But the Princess is… was… excellency in Healing Magic that she is said to have to powers of 4 Healers in one person." Lyndis shot back. Her response was more of a chauvinistic shot on the Elves superior Magical Bodies and how their bodies were as their Gods dictated to be intelligently designed for all manners of the Arcane.
"We will need to publicly alert the Legions immediately milord." Mita suggested. "We will need a tremendous amount of hands to put down the Demons while only so few thousand of them are there right now."
"And risk a public panic? We are still at war with the Daosne tribes at the North and our navy is still battling it out with the Tavai's in the southern oceans." Owyne warned mentioning the other existing problems that was well under the Slaegian's Geopolitical Context.
The Daosne are a stubborn and proud people of man-beast fusions ranging from the wolf-like Volyudi, the feline Kotyalyudi and the northerner cousins to the horned Gaiths, the imposing Bykalyudi or fondly nicknamed by the Legionnaires stationed there 'Bull People'.
The Tavai's or more commonly known as the Sea Elves were cousins of the Alfel Nora elves who broke off a long time ago before the Elven continent was torn asunder in two. They are amphibians in nature capable of both livings within and outside the bounds of the ocean. Many of them would often go down the roads of Piracy and raid shipping lanes that the majority of the Empire's navy protects as the trade galleons go to and from the great port city of Souviel one of the most important Economic Hubs in the Empire outside of Haringpoint herself.
"Your hands are stretched and can go no further right now any attempt to disrupt this equilibrium could cause significant consequences. Subtlety is still---" Mita was about to explain to the Emperor the importance of censoring the troubling developments when suddenly a loud crack of the door erupted the solemnity of the Imperial Study-room.
"My Lord I have a message!" a servant said.
"Esclau! How dare you barge in at this hour while I have a guest." Uldin reprimanded.
"Forgive me Emperadwr. But you informed us that to not disturb you unless the news is about Tyr Rian." The servant apologized.
"Well, I have all the people involved here with me."
"This message is from the Prince of Tyr Rian himself." The messenger informed.
The Emperor grabbed the scroll from the messenger and dismissed him. He was still somewhat insulted by the servant's sudden disruption of this discreet meeting but to hear of news from Prince Clovich himself, his own Vassal was abrupt.
He suspects a trick could be in play since this letter was given at a suspicious time or maybe it was a coincidence since Tyr Rian was quite a distance from Haringpoint at two opposite ends of the Empire, to begin with. But a letter from the Prince might shed some light on this saga.
"Mita can you examine this?" the Emperor handed over the scroll to the Crow Grandmaster.
After a brief moment of external and internal examination which involved a break of social protocol that letters be read first by the intended recipient before anyone else to search for signs of a forgery.
"This one is authentic Emperadwr. No signs of a forgery and this is indeed Clovich's childish handwriting." Mita said.
The Prince of Tyr Rian was known by other nobles to have the writing skills of a child since his pen strokes lacked any form of grace and had the boxes and wormy curves that a beginner, mostly a child would have had the calligraphic skill of. The emperor grabbed back the scroll from the Crow and began to silently scan the document:
"My Emperor, I have the most wonderful news to share to you. These Otherworlders who came to my lands a few months ago showed me things I thought were only impossible. As I write this, they have helped me make my crops grow, dealt with those pestilent bandits and enforced peace through their own brand of wisdom which I am now currently studying for myself so I can improve my statecraft being the crossroads of the Empire and the Eastern Suzerainties. They will soon help transform me and my kingdom into their own vision of what the Empire can be and I write this to you my lord to visit Tyr Rian when you have the leisure after dealing with those Dosnae Tribesmen up north."
"It is too late… for him… he is… dabbling in the Dark Arts! He is slowly being transformed!" Owyne panicked remembering the prophecy he saw.
"We need to rally the Legions immediately and call forth the----" Petur Reikdorf tried to wrest a sense of urgency only for his booming voice to be blanketed over by another booming sound.
"What was that?" Karliah Silverdane asked.
"My Lord! The Capital is under attack by a swarm of Dragons!" an Imperial Guardsman barged into the room to warn the Emperor.
"Under attack? By who?" Uldin asked. The thought of any army suddenly marching their way pass dozens of forts, settlements, and patrols without detection or suspicion was preposterous due to the sheer size of the Legion and the Empire.
"I… do not know but we must hurry to the Cellar." The Guardsman warned.
"We must hurry! Protect the Emperor." Petur cried.
The party soon made haste downstairs in the Imperial Palace. The Study was at the top part of the Palace and was the most vulnerable from a Dragon attack. Thankfully the Dragons have yet to fly towards the Palace so they might still have sometime before it's too late. The servants, the guards, and any Government staff raced to the cellar as the stairs, hallways, and rooms became a flurry of stomping feet.
From the windows overlooking Haringpoint's harbor, the Emperor to his horror could see the 'Dragon' attacking Haringpoint. It was a large creature with flapless wings that shadowed over the waters and coastal structures of the Imperial Capital like a giant's titanic height over the average man. The dragon was followed by 2 smaller dragons and what looks like from the distance sprites of even smaller dragons that spat fire to ground burning all in its path. Smoke, Fire and splinters of debris coated the Bay and the Harbor district as the loud thunderous roars of the chaos the Dragons emitted.
For Grandmaster Owyne, he feared the worse of great fire devouring his city as he stood there frozen in place as he comes to the thought of the vision he saw before his sight was ungracefully taken away from him.
"Grandmaster! We need to hurry." Carliah pulled his hand. But the old man shook the Mages hand away.
He remained speechless as the Otherworldly Dragons passed by the Palace. There wings a sharp roar that shook the bones of all those who heard its wings.
The prophecy is now unwinding in reality just as he feared it. The End Days as he foresaw as the Demons have returned to now enact their revenge against the people of Gliesia. Yet death never came. The Dragons simply pass by without any heed to the obvious target of the Imperial Palace (or the Mages College or the Imperial Dome).
Were the Demons playing with them? Taunting them to fight?
"Grandmaster Owyne, let the Gryphon Knights fight these Demons. They have been deployed as we speak. Hurry to the Cellar." The Imperial Guardsman ordered.
Above Haringpoint's clouds, the Gryphon Knights, all proudly 300 hundred of them flew off immediately from their stables in a scramble to intercept the Dragons. They had their fair share of experience and knowledge of Tactics to eliminate such a beast which is through overwhelming numbers and hit and run with repeated lunges with their lance before the dragons could react to a swift counter.
But the Gryphon's realize too late as soon as they ascended to the skies that they were know an open and by the standards of the UFE, a slow-moving target.
"Fox-2!" Pegasus-4 said as he fired an air-to-air missile at the Gryphon Riders. The missile darted across the vast distance between them as it shot down one of the Riders easily in an explosion that also managed to kill from the resulting fireball 3 other Riders.
The Pegasus Squadron easily made short work of the Gryphon Riders until the unit was disintegrated in a matter of one minute. If the Gunfire didn't kill them first? The large drop would to the sea would or failing that, the sea itself.
As the People of Haringpoint despaired at their defenses' disintegration and the lack of preparations for a siege. Suddenly, the bombardment stops.
The chaos that ensued from Unicorn Squadron only extended to the Arsenal District and the Port areas of the Harbor.
"People of the Empire of Slaegia!" a booming voice echoed that came from the largest dragon.
"A Cloud of Steel glides above your city. We are the United Federation of Earth! I am tasked for the protection of the Colony of New Albany. The Otherworldly city that you dared to attack unprovoked. We know that it was you who tried to assassinate Governor Jeremy White and Prince Clovich Rian with your Barbaric poison gas attack. This is your only warning! Seize Hostilities and allow open diplomatic talks, Military Access and Economic Trades or we will destroy every city in your backwards empire to dust! You have only 1 Month to agree to our demands." The voice said. It was in a fluent but alien accentuated Vaikuri.
"Such arrogance!" Lyndis bared her teeth.
It looks like subtlety is no longer an option for the Empire no more. Now all of Gliesia will know that the UFE are here. And they just made their most poignant debut on the world's geo-political stage.
"We cannot allow these Otherworlders to just vandalize our great city!" the Imperial Guardsman protested.
"Look! It looks like the Dragon is leaving." One of the Palace Servants pointed out as the large cloud in the sky turned its tail and flew away from the city.
As if satisfied of the damage it had caused. The attack was meant to intimidate, not yet to Devour.
"Lords and Ladies, Knights and Squires, rally the Magi, the Grey Order and the Houses. We need Heroes to save us. These could be the End Days that Geltagar's Comet has spoken of." Emperor Uldin called forth.