TO A NEW END.

CHAPTER 3: reborn

Somewhere close to the city of St. Dominick, it was one of those bad days for the agency. 10 NWI (national Wiccan intelligence) agents dead, and 37 more MIA, and to make it bad the resignations from the ‘south ridge recon’ were endless, no one wanted that job. And the real hit in the nuts was the increase in number of missing reports- and now it was the eldest son of the De Souza coven- Austin De Souza, who was reported missing. (The De Souza house was amongst the ‘council of the Valkyrie’, resident allies to the ministry of magic governing the city.)

The ‘south ridge recon’ as it got tagged amongst the agents and office commons, was a directive designed to asses a foreign infiltration in an unmarked land owned by the ‘houses of the Valkyrie’ specifically the De Souza house. The nature of infiltrators was unknown, nor were there any demands. The occupation had cost the ministry their heavy trading lines and lucrative allies. Subsequently even though attempts were made to get an ID on them, any means of info revival and retaliation collapsed tremendously.

The ministry usually would be a deaf dog on such an event, it couldn’t care less about a Valkyrie or any of its houses, but the lands now occupied by the ‘unsubs’ (unidentified subjects), were the only trading link to the elven house of Ysa, The only elven city that had allied with the ministry during the war .Hence the noise and high pressure tantrums of the ministry.

 Recovery of the route was rallied essential to the ministry, even though they cried in the name of economy and foreign relations, every Dominican worth his salt knew, that the trade route was the only way the ministry could bring in eleven metal- mainly of nuclear grade plutonium and iron based alloy, without being raided by enemy confederations.

Initially the directives were recon and terminate the assessed target in south ridge (the lands occupied). But as the multiple failures piled up the director’s desk, it had pushed the NWI to redirect its objectives to strictly recon. The suits in the agency and the ministry of magic had tried to push the matters of civilian abductions (one in particular-the Valkyrie - Austin De Souza) to a silent hush, away from common ears. But the wicks of the events had reached every celestial links, even the low life demon webs were aware of it, with the news being flashed on every other crystal orb every hour of the monk. It was hardly a thing to miss.

Then came the news that a Valkyrie was found washed up ashore the banks of rienhauch falls two miles east of south ridge, it was the hour of the reaper when some sentry of the peacekeeping order found him. He was motion less, pale white, withered to the bone, his eyes glassy white, only comfort from the horrid figure was the faint breath. The NWI had found their 1st survivor.