[Chapter 5: Martis visiones/Visions of Mars]
-The Dreamscape-
She was here again; she'd recognize this dark, rocky hell anywhere. Despite the last few visions, they still filled Celestine Lucullus with that certain type of dread.
The dull brownish red rocks weren't all that jagged, yet the atmosphere around her seemed to drain the very life away from her. The winds dispersing the brownish dust around like a light sandstorm didn't help with her vision either. The yellowish sky was also another thing that wasn't helping.
"So you are here too, eh Celestine Dear?" She whipped her head to see none other than Olga Discordia walking up to her with the grace only a monarch who takes pride in their duties could muster. Celestine blinked as she took in Olga's entrance.
"O-Olga? H-how did you get in here?"
"I haven't the slightest idea. One moment, I was sleeping soundly in my room that you have given me, and the next I found myself here," Olga said as she gave a shrug before the Dark Elf Queen looked around, taking in the seas of brown and red. Olga narrowed her eyes, as the entire environment reminded her of Garan after she had destroyed it to prevent the demonic hordes from defiling it.
"This reminds me of what I had done," Celestine looks at her as she continued, "What I had done to Garan was unforgivable." Olga said as she faced her old friend.
"You did what you had to do, Olga. No one can fault you for it," Celestine spoke kindly, as if the war between them had never resulted in horrific tragedies. It made Olga uncomfortable but she steeled herself. It was one of the things about Celestine that made her envious of her. Her uncanny ability to bring about joy was something Olga had lacked but more than made up for it with her exotic body and skin color.
"But I've caused so much death and strife!"
"You've held the monsters back as much as you could. I'd be foolish to blame you; for I would be a hypocrite should I do so."
Before any of them can speak further, they heard footsteps heading their way. Quickly acting, the two Elven monarchs hid behind a large rock, ignoring the dust and sand being blown over them to the best of their abilities.
Looking over, Olga saw a group of armored individuals as did Celestine. But these did not look like the armored knights under Claudia's own Dawn Templars, as their armors were rather advance in terms of appearance.
If anything, these men reminded the two elves of Sir Flynn Taggert as his own set of armor was just as advanced as theirs, although theirs were more armored and protective than Sir Taggert's own set of armor. Perhaps these men were part of the nation that he, Sir Corzo White, and Lady Jung Hae-Lin had hailed from.
The men had passed by them, and the two can hear them speaking.
"Once again, doing guard work for the eggheads," one of them, wearing blue armor, spoke with his voice was distorted, the two elves noted. "I fucking swear, if one of them screws with my armor, I'm gunning them down right on the spot! I don't care what the Board of Directors says!"
"Easy, Willis," another one in blue chastised the now-identified Willis, "Command says that there's some increased demonic activity in the sector, so they want us to put these horny SOB's down." He finished as he held up an interesting firearm, Celestine and Olga noticed.
Its body was light brownish green, with a long silver barrel protruding outwards.
Willis replied in an annoyed tone, "Says you, Johnson. I ain't paid enough for this bull."
"Not with that attitude, you ain't getting paid shit," another one, this time clad in blood red colored armor, shot back, making Willis shoot that man a glare from behind his helmet.
"Fuck off, Joseph!" Willis angrily snapped at the red armored soldier, Joseph.
The group of soldiers walked off, continuing to converse with one another. Olga looked at their retreating backs and told Celestine.
"Let's follow them," Celestine looked at her as if she were mad.
"But if they see us-"
"Then I can deal with them with my magic," as if to emphasize her point, she brought up her staff. The gemstone on the tip shone weakly before dulling out, as Olga had collapsed to her knees.
"Olga!" Celestine began to help Olga to her feet, noting how the Dark Elf would shudder with every inch she straightened.
"I-I'm fine, Celestine Dear. Nothing like a little mending would fix," Olga assured weakly, giving a smile at her. Celestine wanted to argue, but simply chose to keep her mouth shut.
"We shall follow them, Olga, but from a safe distance. Who knows what will happen should those men see us?" Olga nodded as she stood up once more.
The two elves followed the men from a respectable distance, though are unable to hear their conversation due to the howling winds straining their hearing. Minutes later, the men approached a large metal structure, with more soldiers of varying colors stationed there as non-armored personnel moved about from their positions.
The dominant material was metal, titanium if Olga could guess, as various towers (If they can even be called that as they were rather short in comparison to more normal towers seen on Eostia and those of her ally countries) housed their marksmen. Various smaller, square buildings were arranged in neat order, perhaps housing supplies and other soldiers. The gate was automatic as the large gray doors separated at a fairly quick pace as soon as the group of soldiers had stopped in front of it. A massive dome seemed to be the means of defense apart from the towers as it had covered everything but the towers as a form of protection.
The group of soldiers went in, followed by Olga and Celestine.
To the surprise of the two elves, none of the soldiers took notice of the two as they followed the group into what appears to be their base. The gate behind them closed quickly as it had opened, and suddenly the atmosphere was more breathable now to the two elves.
Suddenly, a loud roaring sound came from above them, making the soldiers quickly disperse and head to safer areas which Olga and Celestine followed.
Looking up, the two elven monarchs were further surprised to see a metal dragon slowly descending from an opening in the dome towards the open area. The loud noises created from its non-moving wings were deafening to the elves. As it landed, the two couldn't help but take in its features.
It was large, primarily colored black, with a thick main body and a large head although the neck was rather short, they noted. Its wings were ever straight, the only moving part would be the odd structures attaching them to the main body moving to an upright position, spouting blue flames that lessened as the large dragon descended lower towards the smooth metal platform erected from the ground. Its tail was somewhat long, stiff much like its wings with two smaller wings attached to the sides of the tip of the tail. Its sides suddenly opened as the flames ceased, revealing more soldiers although these men were clad in black armor and were likely to be escorting someone important. Elite forces, maybe?
"Who are these people?" Olga muttered out loud as the new arrivals stepped off of the dragon's opened sides as the person under their care emerges. The two elves couldn't help but gasp at her appearance.
She was sickly, shorter than them and even the tall soldiers in comparison. An odd, milky gray body suit with thin paddings consisted of her clothing, with the center between her breasts having a blood red light coming from it. She was deathly pale and thin, as if she weren't human but an undead creature. Her hair was very short, revealing that the sides of her head sported metal additions, perhaps to stabilize her fragile body.
But it was her eyes that drew their attention. They were a steel blue color but it wasn't that that grabbed their attention.
Despite the dullness in them, those eyes hid a dark secret and showcased a cold fury at whatever catches her gaze. Despite that, the soldiers stationed, including the ones Olga and Celestine had followed, saluted although theirs was different from Eostia's, where Eostians would salute by firmly placing their fist on their breast followed by a bow, these men saluted by bringing up a stiff hand to their forehead.
"Welcome, back, Miss Pierce," one of them greeted but the woman, Pierce, did not reply. Looking around the base, she simply nods to her escorts, who nod back at the unspoken message. The air around them was tense; Olga and Celestine could feel it.
Pierce and her bodyguards passed through a set of moving doors, followed by the two (Somehow) unseen elves. Passing through a second set, Olga and Celestine were met with the darkness of a large cave.
Various metal constructs were here, they noted, providing illumination for people to see better in these dark environments. It also appears that there were a few workers down here as well, wearing similar bodysuits to Miss Pierce's but in differing colorations. The group proceeded farther down this tunnel until they came across a large set of stone doors that outright dwarfed everyone present. A group of bodysuit-clad men and women were there, studying the intricate writings carved into the faces of the doors.
One of them, perhaps the leader of the group clad in the bodysuits, took notice and waved them over. Pierce, as did her elite guards, went over to the man.
"Good to see you again, Olivia," the man held out a hand for a shake but Pierce simply gazed at the door, her eyes slightly shifting.
"Were there any complications on your end, Klein?" Pierce finally spoke, her voice coarse but whether that was from her age or condition, the two elven monarchs could not tell, as she finished inspecting the large doors. The man, Klein, lowered his hand with a frown as he gestured to the doors.
"We haven't fully deciphered the writings as of yet, Pierce, but rest assured we'll get to the bottom of this," he spoke in a confident tone. Brining up an odd metal tablet, he shows to Olivia Pierce the results of his findings. Various images were shown in brisk paces, each depicting the different parts of the large stone doors and their writings. Celestine and Olga couldn't help but be amazed at the level of technology.
Pierce looked it all over and asked, "Have you finished cataloguing them, Klein?" The man simply nodded as an answer.
"Good," she turns to the elite guards. "Get a few detonation charges and get that door open," her words made Klein and the group look at her like she were mad, shocked at her words.
"Miss Pierce, please reconsider!"
"I have already made my decision, Doctor Klein. You and your group have stared at the door long enough," Pierce gazes at the doors, but her eyes seem to see right through it.
"It's time we saw what exactly is Mars hiding from us."
For the past few minutes, the group (Along with Celestine and Olga) were watching the elite guards plant odd black blocks with red wires lining certain parts of each block and attaching them to other blocks in the process.
Once the men were finished, the apparent leader of the elite guards handed a strange rectangular device to Pierce who, without a second thought, pressed down on the trigger on the side of the device.
The next sound the two elven monarchs heard was a loud, thundering roar that shook the ground that they were on and rang their eardrums greatly. Such absolute power! The explosions had caused a massive cloud of dust to fan out in several directions as the large set of stone doors had been forced open. The explosions had an effect on the others as well, as the bodysuit-clad group covered their ears and closed their eyes as the blocks exploded.
Once the dust had cleared, they could see clearly what lied behind those doors. And its very presence alone sent strong shivers down the spines of Celestine and Olga.
A stone sarcophagus laid ahead of them, smack dab at the center of the room. Upright, it sported various markings that gave off a dull red glow. They weren't certain of it, but their ears picked up on the distortions of the wind. The distortions sounded like whisperings, the whisperings of the dead.
"I-Incredible," Klein could only muster as the sight of it all left him and many others speechless.
However, the woman, Pierce, seemed to not mind or ignore the voices as she walked into the large chamber and headed straight for the sarcophagus. She was ignorant of the whisperings that were getting stronger in her ears. She wanted the sarcophagus, and what lied inside of it, no matter the cost.
As Celestine was about to move in and intercept, Olga had held out a hand to obstruct her path.
"Olga?" The Dark Elf Queen of the Jagged Crown did not reply for a brief moment, as if she was contemplating on what to say next.
As Pierce stopped in front of the stone container, she reached out with one hand and ran it across the smooth surface.
She immediately felt it. The red markings sparked against her touch, making her defensively pull back her hand to inspect the damage done. Despite the brief contact, it was enough to nearly reduce her fingers to char. Pierce gave a solemn nod and turned to the rest.
"Get this... find into my lab as soon as possible. I wish to inspect it in more... suitable conditions," reluctantly, the bodysuit-clad group nodded while Pierce's elite guards saluted at the executive member's orders.
What happened next was a literal blur for Olga and Celestine as the workers and the soldiers carefully loaded the sarcophagus into a gray horseless carriage that soon drove off, as the two elves found themselves in the same place as the sarcophagus, the damning thing standing upright no matter the bumpy road. Any other time, the two would've marveled at the level of technology seen at the moment.
However, the current moment prevented such thoughts or actions to happen from the two elven monarchs.
As the horseless carriage drove through the desolate wastes, Celestine took the time to look outside. What she saw made her eyes widen as she dashed over to Olga and rapidly tapped her. The Dark Elf queen blinked at her counterpart's actions.
"What in Serenus are you doing, Celestine?" Celestine continued but this time she spoke up.
"Olga! Olga! Look outside!" Confused, Olga did what she was requested/told and only then did her eyes widen.
The cluster of metal structures was massive, dwarfing the entire country of Eostia easily. A quick glance at the strange moving sign read Mars City – R&D Section. Olga and Celestine couldn't help but marvel the sheer size of each structure, with various people walking about to do various tasks too odd for the elves to understand.
It all blurred once more and soon, the two elves found themselves in a fully metal room. The elves blinked at the sudden transition and took in their new surroundings. If they could describe it, it would be as an alchemist's heavenly dream come to life. Various gadgets were standing atop of metal cupboards or tables and various pieces of machinery helped them stay firm. The two elves saw the sarcophagus again, this time it was lying flat as multiple bodysuit-clad individuals began to carefully remove the apparent lid of the sarcophagus from the rest of it. The woman Pierce was once again seen, her eyes never leaving the container. As soon as the lid was lifted about an inch from the sarcophagus, something happened.
Red waves of energy shot out, knocking down the workers and striking various objects. Pierce herself was flung backwards and landed against the wall, the woman making no sound at all but the elves could tell that she felt the impact hard.
The red waves ceased and the lid was thrown away into the far corner of the room, crushing whatever tools and materials lied on that very spot. In painful manners, the workers got up and steadied themselves, the red waves knocking their senses... well, senseless.
Pierce was unbothered by this, even as two workers helped her stand. She shooed them off a second after she had steadied her foothold. She, along with everyone else (Including Olga and Celestine), took a look at what lied inside of the sarcophagus.
Giving a glance at her counterpart, Olga would've laughed at how red Celestine's face was glowing. If she herself wasn't doing the same thing, that is.
Lying within the confines of the sarcophagus was a large, well-built man. Hard, taunt muscles were everywhere they looked, not a sight of fat of sag anywhere at all no matter how hard they tried. The man was large, they noted. If standing, he'd dwarf them all, the elves reckoned. The skin wasn't without flaws, however, as various scars decorated it no matter where they'd look. From slash marks to burn marks, this man had accumulated quite the impressive collection of scars to the point it was disgusting to look at.
Their eyes wandered downwards of the man's body.
"OH!"
"My, oh my..."
Their blushes went skyrocketing. Celestine, being one with a sense of decency, opted to look away and cover her face, the sight no doubt burned into her memory for all eternity. Olga herself had to slap herself in order to get her to look away from the man's groin and elsewhere, anywhere.
"Well," Olga coughed as she glanced at the still troubled Celestine, "I don't think we'll be forgetting that sight any time soon." The High Elf chose not to speak her agreement to the Dark Elf and simply nodded from behind her hands. Olga looked back at the man, this time focusing on his face. She gasped, catching Celestine's attention.
"Olga, what is the matter?" Olga didn't reply and simply pointed at the man's face, the Dark Elf's eyes wide. The High Elf looked to where she had pointed, mindful of not looking at the groin, and her eyes widened as well.
It was none other than the Gore Knight, Flynn Taggert. He peacefully lied within the sarcophagus; naked as the day he was born and unaware of the audience watching him as he hibernated within his container.
"Interesting," Pierce spoke up and turned away, the sight bothering her not. She was about to make her way towards the glass door (The sight alone impressing Celestine and Olga at how it was made) when she and the others heard footsteps.
Metallic footsteps.
Pierce knew whose feet they belonged to. The workers did as well, tensing as they did. The only ones confused are Olga and Celestine, who eyed the door curiously. The glass door slid to the right in a quick manner as something went past it. The very sight of the creature made the two elves step back in surprise and fear.
It was tall, at 3 meters/9 feet 9 inches, with a slim body primarily colored in white. Three fingers and a thumb were the digits of each hand, which would clench and unclench in an experimenting manner. A single slit in its head functioned as the apparent 'eye' of the creature, as a blue light would go up and down as if inspecting the room it was in.
Once it laid eyes on Pierce and then the sarcophagus, the creature gave a distorted sigh.
"I was wondering where I'd find the sarcophagus," it spoke in an equally distorted voice as it turned to face Pierce. The creature seemed to glare at the woman as she had done the same. Pierce spoke with disdain.
"Is there something you need, Hayden? Perhaps you'd want me to grab some more neuro-preserving agents once more for that diseased brain of yours?" The creature, Hayden, simply chose to ignore her obvious jab. His eye settled once more on the sarcophagus, noting the amount of energy still flowing from it. Turning his attention back to Pierce, Hayden simply replied.
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary, Olivia," the creature's distorted but clearly male voice seemed to irk the fragile woman. Olga and Celestine could only watch this tense exchange between apparent coworkers. Pierce clicked her tongue as she slowly walked up to the creature.
"This find stays here, Hayden. My team had found it first, as such we are keeping it here," the woman spoke fiercely towards the metal creature, which simply shook its head in what appears to be of annoyance.
But constructs such as it couldn't have emotions, could they?
"On the contrary, Olivia," the creature spoke distortedly again, "my team was the one who had found this find first."
"And yet you never so bothered to open the doors? Quite narrow-sighted of you, Hayden," to Pierce's surprise, the metal construct Hayden simply gave a distorted chuckle.
"What makes you so certain we never opened it in the first place? From the most recent reports, the team under my supervision was just finishing up with examining the scriptures on the doors when you and your team came in. Doctor Klein and his entourage were the last ones to inspect it before your arrival," if it had a mouth, Hayden would have been smirking at Pierce's expression. The frail woman in the bodysuit managed to give Hayden a feral snarl that Celestine and Olga were sure she couldn't do so.
"This find is mine, Hayden! It's in my lab and is under my supervision now!"
"Given your current... mannerisms, having this find under your complete control would result in disaster. Not to mention the amount of funding the Board would take from us," Hayden chastised, his (the two elves decided it was a he judging from the voice, distorted may it be) apparent stance unwavering. Pierce strutted up to Hayden and pointed a frail finger at the metal construct.
"If you so think that you can just take this, then you are sorely mistaken, Hayden," she spoke with animosity, although the person addressed barely reacted to her if at all he did.
"On that front, you are speaking sense, Olivia," Hayden replied as he crossed his metal arms over his chest. "But I will be making some... changes to your laboratory."
"And what exactly is that, Hayden?" The metal construct did not reply. Instead it simply pulled out a weird, stick-like rod from nowhere as it appeared in his hands in a flash of blue squares, much like how Sir Taggert would pull out his weaponry. Gripping it in both hands, Hayden then reveals that the rod can split into two vertically, with a blue glass-like substance filling the gap between them as multiple symbols flashed through it. Pressing the 'glass' with his metal fingers, Hayden's peculiar device made beeping noises too low for most beings to hear as various portraits of people flashed through the glass.
"Your team will working with another team that answers directly to me and the Board of Directors. I do hope that you will behave, Olivia," Hayden spoke in a straight tone, but the two elves could tell that there was a condescending tone in his words.
"We wouldn't want a repeat of the incident in the Delta Labs now, would we?" Looking over to Pierce's group, Hayden could see that none of them spoke out in any manner. If anything, they were more afraid of their boss rather than the metal construct talking their boss down. Hayden made a sound akin to a hum as he spoke once more. "As I'd thought," he swiveled to face the glass doors and began making his way out. Once he had left and the glass doors have closed completely, silence fell over the room. Pierce glowered at the glass doors before it settled down, the frail woman in the advance bodysuit turned to face the sarcophagus. Heading towards it, Pierce ran both her hands across the surface, feeling the red waves of energy pulsating beneath.
"No, Hayden," she snarled, her gaze turning into a harsh glare at the slumbering body of Sir Flynn Taggert. "We do not," she spoke as the others around her grow uncomfortable at her behavior.
Soon, the entire scene began to fade as the two elven monarchs were transported to a place Celestine had grown accustomed to in her dreams.
The canyons of this odd dream-world, however there are a few things different compared to the last time Celestine was here. Olga looked around, taking in the various details of their newfound location.
"Interesting," she mused as she faced the new additions in the area. "It's as if we are in some sort of... centre in this world." Celestine looked at Olga and tilted her head in response.
"A centre, Olga?" Stopping a moment to think, Celestine could see the accuracy in her counterpart's observations. The Dark Elf Queen nodded at that before taking notice of some certain objects that had stood out from the otherwise brown landscape.
"I am under the notion that those were not there, Celestine?" The Goddess Reborn nodded as they saw the many objects now arranged across the canyon.
On one display were bits and pieces of armor were set, each of them in varying states of damage. The pieces were most likely scraps from previous fights. However, it looks like the main portion of the armor meant for the torso was intact, relatively speaking.
Dented it was, as if something had smashed against it with a great amount of force. Various holes decorated the armor as well, reminding the two elven monarchs of the holes left in the wake of the weaponry of Sirs Taggert and White and of Miss Hae-Lin. Had the three been enemies prior to arriving here? The two didn't know.
The armor's color was green like the lush grasslands the two fondly remember. Emblazoned on the upper left breast area was a small plaque of sorts. On the plaque were letters of human make, reading out "CPL, Taggert, F." for all to see.
"See-Pee-El, Taggert, Eff," Olga read aloud, tracing each letter with one finger. Celestine saw that the helmet of the armor was in the worst condition in comparison.
It was gray, much like Sir Taggert's own, but darkened and battered from whatever did this. The blue glass-like visor in them weren't shining blue like Sir Taggert's; rather they were dulled out and shattered, giving the elf a peek of the empty space inside. There were letters and numbers plastered on the left side of the helmet. "D666-Y1993" it read.
'What is this doing here?' Celestine thought as she inspected the helmet further. Her fingers traced the groves along the helmet, wincing at how heated and sharp they were.
That's when a searing pain started attacking her head, causing her to scream out in pain and drop the battered helmet in the process.
"Celestine!" Olga rushed towards her and grabbed the elven goddess by the shoulders. Before she could ask what exactly caused her to scream, the entire environment started to shift again, the canyons transforming into another metal room. This room looked like it was a general's own office, Olga noted, given the various medals on display. The dark elf took notice of two newcomers in their vicinity.
One man was seated behind his desk, dressed in a clean dark-green suit. The man's suit sported quite the array of medals on his right breast area, signifying that he was someone important within his nation's army. The man's face was old, with a strong jaw and a few wrinkles signifying his age. The man sported graying hair, neatly cut in an orderly manner, and sharp blue eyes despite his physical age. It was apparent that this man was a general of an army, perhaps the same one employing the armored soldiers in the vision prior.
The man was busy arranging a small pile of documents before addressing the other person in the room.
"You seem stressed," his voice was fitting of him, strong and with a commanding aura. The man shuffled the documents before putting them aside. "Could it be perhaps of the mission before, Corporal Taggert?" The two elves whipped their heads to see the person that this general was addressing and saw that it was indeed Sir Flynn Taggert, or Corporal Taggert as the man seated implied, standing in front of the sole wooden door of this room.
Celestine and Olga then noticed the differences between the Sir Taggert they know of and the Sir Taggert they are seeing now.
This version of Sir Taggert wore a simpler version of the armor that they have seen. His upper clothing consisted of a dark green chest-plate, worn over a black tight-fitting shirt, along with gray elbow pads and gauntlets. His lower clothing consisted of dark green pants of some sort with gray paddings and boots. The helmet of this Sir Taggert was different as well with a more squared design compared to the sleeker version of the current helmet and a gray visor rather than the chilling ice-blue color of his current one.
Corporal Taggert slammed his fist into the wall to his side, causing Celestine to let out a quick "Eep!" in response as she jumped at the action. None of the two males noticed however, as Corporal Taggert slowly approached the general, anger flowing from each step taken.
"It was supposed to be a simple escort!" He roared out, yet the man before him showed no fear. Either that or he hid it well, Olga mused.
"And it was, Corporal. I fail to see the point of your current mannerisms," the general spoke calmly. Corporal Taggert scoffed in response.
"Oh really, then I suppose simple for you involved escorting a member of the British Royal Family who, mind you, is still under flak from just about everyone back home?!" He gave his side of the argument, his apparent anger not subsiding in the slightest.
"Given your skillset," the general spoke, "it would be a walk in the park for you. And from the glowing reports, it was." The general finished in a tone that Celestine couldn't put a finger on but Olga did with recognition and not the good kind.
It was the same tone she would use on some of her more stubborn subjects that if they continue whatever unwelcome behavior, drastic actions were to be taken.
"Tell that to Ackermann! Summers! Briggs! Everyone else on that goddamned mission!"
"I am well aware of that, Corporal," the general began. "Why else would you think I personally went to the medical wards myself?" One of his hands went up, objects of sorts gingerly held in the palm. Both Celestine and Olga take a look at the objects in the general's hand.
Each one was a small, red, square figure, rather thin with short golden strips running across its sides. A smaller square was on top of it, the color of it being black and it was slightly thicker than the red square it was atop of. Various lines decorated both squares, red glowing lights running through them slowly. There were a few of these in his palm, stacked atop one another.
It appeared that Sir Taggert had recognized them, as his fist slammed into the general's desk.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO, YOU BASTARD?!" Despite the large, angry soldier in front of him, the general simply kept a straight face.
"What I had to do, Corporal, and if you keep that up, I will have a security detail escort you out." The general slowly closed his hand as he placed the strange object away from all eyes present. "Trust me, you'll thank me later," he finished as the soldier glared daggers at him.
"Thanking you? THANKING YOU?!" Corporal Taggert raised his fist to strike at the general, but the seated man was quicker. In the blink of an eye, the general's other hand pressed on a button of sorts on a wand-like object that caused Corporal Taggert to freeze up, much to the shock of the two elves present.
Taggert began to growl at the sudden change of pace, struggling to even move an inch as if he was frozen in place.
"W-what the h-he-hell?!" Taggert managed to speak as the general stood up and walked around his desk to get a closer look.
"Corporal Taggert," the general started in a calm voice as he placed a hand on Corporal Taggert's own raised fist and, after ensuring a firm grip, forced it back to his side. "Normally I'd have you detained, but given that your emotions are running rather high today, I'd rather have you simmer down somewhere I know you'd like." As if it was on cue, the wooden door was opened to reveal two soldiers looking similar to Sir Taggert but with varying skin tones and builds coming in and beginning to restrain the already-frozen soldier.
"As such, I'll have you detained in the same medical wards that your team is currently recuperating at," the general's calm face broke into a slight smile as he patted the soldier on his shoulder. "Oh don't be so surprised," he continued, "I may be a hard bastard, but I'm not some no-good politician that'll throw away their mooks." He nods to the two soldiers that had entered the room.
"Escort Corporal Taggert to the medical ward, he is to be detained there for the time being." The two soldiers saluted the general and began to move the still-frozen Taggert out of the room and out of the two elves' sight.
The general walked back to his desk and took his seat once more. It was only now that the two elves saw a nameplate on the general's desk.
"Gen. Hayden, S., Four-Star, O-10" was what it read on the plaque. Olga made a slight noise in her throat, making Celestine look at her.
"Olga, what is the matter?" The dark elf queen turned her head to face her counterpart. She simply pointed at the now unmoving general.
"That man over there, he shares the same name as that Hayden creature in the last vision." Focusing her eyesight at the nameplate, Celestine too made a noise in her throat.
"But... that does not make any sense, Olga. Unless they are differing entities, then..." the high elf and Goddess Reborn trailed off as she analyzed the appearance of the general and tried to find some parallel of sorts to the metal creature from before.
Olga, on the other hand, analyzed the room and compared it to the previous locations they had been. This metallic room felt... older if the Queen of the Jagged Crown could describe it as such compared to the other metallic rooms they had previously been inside of.
"Perhaps what we are seeing are glimpses of Sir Taggert's past," Olga spoke in a firm tone. Her counterpart turned to her, her head tilted to the side.
"His... past?" Olga nodded as she gazed upon the room. The dark elf hummed before making her response.
"Yes, his past. What we are seeing right now could just be the beginning of how Sir Taggert came to be." Olga said in a confident tone, a tone that Celestine hadn't heard in a long time.
Suddenly, everything began to blur once more before the two elven monarchs found themselves back in the dusty brown canyons once again.
The two of them could see that the suit of armor that once belonged to Sir Taggert was back in its place, on a stony pedestal to be displayed for all to see. The two elven monarchs also took notice of a glowing object in the center of the canyons. It was globe-like in shape, glowing blood red by the edges and a familiar symbol firmly plastered across its center.
Where Celestine thought of it an anchor of sorts, Olga thought of it a sword plunging downwards. All things considered, both monarchs knew to whom this symbol, or mark as it would be more appropriate to call, belonged to.
Sir Flynn Taggert.
The two monarchs slowly approached the glowing orb. For reasons beyond their own comprehension, the two of them were drawn to the mark emblazoned on the orb. With each step closer, everything else became hazy including their sense of hearing. As one, the two elven monarchs placed their hands on the symbol.
As soon as they placed their hands on it, their visions went completely white.
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[Ken; Training Grounds/11:45:04 AM; SGT]
The latest recruit fell flat on his back, the stone floor and the force of the man knocking him on his back sending a painful sound to reverberate around the training grounds. All within the yards winced at the sound, except for one. That person cracked his knuckles, the sound causing the others to bring their attention towards him.
Sir Flynn Taggert approached the fallen recruit and looked down upon him, his large size and choice of outfit making for an intimidating profile.
"Get up," he said in a commanding tone, the recruit beneath him flinching at the sound. Try as he might, the recruit simply fell onto his back once again. The Marine clicked his tongue in annoyance. He shifts his sight to the other recruits, who were watching the spectacle, each of them feeling smaller whenever the marine's eyes would land on them.
"Unbelievable," he made his voice loud and clear, "I'm starting to see why the Seven Shields hired mercenaries now given how shit each of you are." Each of them said nothing as the marine said those words.
Nearby, observing the marine was Claudia Levantine. The Princess Knight, dressed a bit more conservatively at the request of her husband, narrowed her eyes at the harsh treatment the soldiers of Ken were receiving under Sir Flynn Taggert's methods of training. If one could even label this harsh treatment as training, anyways. He had been teaching, Claudia used that term loosely here, them a method of melee combat that involves the use of one's own limbs. Safe to say, none of the soldiers or the recruits can effectively use the techniques demonstrated by the large-bodied marine. Even the veterans were no match, the marine quickly exploiting the big weaknesses of all these soldiers.
They were too slow, relied too much on their own weaponry, and weren't as reactive as the marine had hoped.
That was a few hours ago and after some advice from Klaus and the still recovering soldiers, the marine had settled for less intense melee combat with the new soldiers.
Currently, Flynn Taggert was clad in his pants, boots, and shirt, revealing the battle-scarred flesh for all to see. Pieces of his armor lay in a neatly organized pile near where Klaus and Claudia were watching the training session. Even so, the Marine had proven to be a dreadful foe to encounter on the battlefield with his strength, speed, and adaptability.
"When your opponent strikes with their left, you either block with your right or you dodge the blow," the Marine instructed to the recruits. Even with those words being advised, the Marine had figuratively and literally mopped the floor with them.
Not even Claudia was this hard on her recruits. She'd treat them well enough that they can still stand and hold a sword by the end of the day...
Sir Taggert, on the other hand, treated them less like equals and more like personal punching bags.
"Alright, that's enough for today," the recruits withheld any sounds of cheer as the harsh training for the day had come to an end. Wearily, the recruits made their way to the exit of the courtyard.
When the last one had finally left, Sir Taggert gave a guttural growl. Too slow, by now Vult and his Kuro Inu may have conquered whatever lands are left in the north. His eyes moved to where Claudia and Klaus were watching the entire session. He could see their reactions.
They both seemed appalled at his methods. It doesn't matter to him. He didn't come here to train over-glorified guards, he had come here to train soldiers; real soldiers, as in the ones that can see the mission to the bitter end.
Even at the cost of their lives.
He had done that, back on Phobos. He had succeeded in defeating the two demonic commanders stationed there. But it had come at the cost of his life.
He didn't anticipate getting ambushed. That was a mistake he won't make again.
He can tell that most of the new recruits would quit. He couldn't care about that. That just means quality over quantity shall be the mentality in training the remainder.
But underneath that expression of hers, the Marine could see that Dawn Templar leader was intrigued in the movements of his unarmed fighting style. The two got up from where they were seated and began to approach him.
"I take it you were appalled by my methods?" Taggert spoke, arms crossed as the two came up to him.
"Appalled would be an understatement, Sir Taggert," Claudia replied as she strained her neck to look at him in the eyes with mixed emotions.
"Yes," Klaus coughed into his hand, "a rather... mortifying scene to come across. Was that really necessary to toss that one guardsman into his peers?"
Flynn Taggert simply shrugged in response. He went over to pick up his armor and helmet, placing them on in record time.
"I see something capable of being used as a projectile, I use it. There's no sense in not using everything in your disposal after all," he tapped his head. "My old mentor once said that the mind is the most powerful weapon ever devised; combine that with some quick thinking, and victory is assured."
"Even if they are dishonorable tactics like yours?" Claudia questioned as her eyes narrowed.
"In a real fight," the Marine retorted, "there's only two absolutes to follow: survival and death." He finished off with a light grunt before making his way back into the White Fortress.
Along the way, the Marine couldn't help but notice that the citizens would go out of their way to keep his immediate path clear. They didn't show it, but they were afraid.
They were afraid of him.
He paid them no heed and simply continued on his way when he had collided with someone. The person yelped and he simply grunted as the person fell onto their rear while he simply stopped moving and looked at the person that he collided with.
It was Zan, the blue-skinned Half-Orc that was under Olga's employ. He hasn't seen much of her during this new war against the Kuro Inu. He had heard that she was aiding Ryuu-Ryuu and the other Halflings of Rad create more of her own weaponry, seeing as how some of them are easy to manufacture.
"Zan," he greeted and held out a hand for her to grab. She grabbed it and hoisted herself up.
"Sir Taggert," she greeted back as she got up. She took note of the direction he had come from.
"I take it you were training the new recruits?" A nod was her answer, with Sir Taggert gesturing her to follow him. She complied, seeing as how he was her superior here.
"And you're replicating your weapons for the Seven Shields?" She nodded, walking behind the large human rather than beside him.
"We've just finished ten models of the Nail-Rifle for testing purposes. As it is," she sighed, "it appears that there are some complications. Mainly, they involve key components of the mechanism." The Marine nodded in understanding.
"Let me guess," he spoke, "they lacked a pressurized air system to propel each nail?" Zan nodded in confirmation.
"I just don't get it," she said. "I've studied how my Nail-Rifle worked in my spare time, I'm certain that the materials are correct."
"Really now? You sure that you know exactly how those canisters work?" His question made Zan pause for a moment.
"Um..." she trailed off, scratching her cheek, "I didn't want to break something like that open."
The Marine didn't say anything, simply walking beside Zan as the two reached the gates of the White Fortress.
"Tell you what," he began as soon as the two were cleared to pass through, "you come visit me in the forgery and we'll see what makes that thing tick." She blinked once, then twice, before looking towards Flynn for clarification.
"My helmet," he tapped the side of it with the strange protrusion, "can scan anything and give me the base components. Didn't really see much use in it until now," he finished with a grumble.
"And why is that?" By now, the two are walking up the steps leading to the massive doors of the White Fortress, the Marine taking lead and opening one of them slightly.
"For one, prior to arriving here on Eostia, my unit and other units in my nation's military were supplied with standard issue equipment; every rifle, every handgun, every blade, every set of protective gear, each one of them made by manufacturing companies." He explained as they walked through the slightly opened door.
"We never really bothered to look into what makes up our gear, given how they were commonplace in our nation," he continued. He clenched his fist, although it was out of annoyance rather than actual anger. "Now I'm stuck here trying to figure out how the hell can I replicate each weapon of mine. Not much success on that front," he grumbled.
"I am under the assumption that your weaponry is more complex to recreate?" When he turned his head towards her, she shrugged. "I tend to analyze what my allies and enemies are carrying. It helps cool my nerves." He simply nodded in understanding before the two of them stopped before the doors of the war council.
The war council for the Seven Shields Alliance was what Taggert would like to call the "Shouting Match Room", given that many seated in the war council tend to get into shouting matches on which tactics are to be used, which lands are more important over the others, et cetera. There were a few cool heads within the war council but far and in between. Walking through the doors, the two could see that there were a few people within the war council room right now.
The entire room is circular in structure, and was large enough to hold at least fifty people. Seven different banners encircled the room, each of them proudly displaying the sigils of each Shield Kingdom.
There's the sigil of Feoh, represented by a shield with a sword going through it from the top.
The sigil of Rad was represented by a large battle axe crossing with a war hammer.
Thorn's sigil was that of a pair of koi fish positioned in a similar manner as the Yin & Yang symbols.
Ansur had their sigil be in the form a skull with a multitude of weapons sticking out of it in a circular manner.
Ur had the sigil of a tome with a wand beside of it.
Geofu had their sigil be the form of an elven couple.
And lastly, Ken's sigil was the wreath of leaves of the Goddess Reborn, the very same one that was on her head most of the time she was out in public.
Currently, only Claudia and Celestine were in Ken as of today, so only their own personal counsels and retainers were present. Amongst them was one person that the Marine didn't see eye to eye with, Archbishop Grishom.
The Archbishop was the head of the primary religion in Eostia, the Church of the Goddess Serena. He was supposedly the holiest person in all Eostia, second only to Celestine herself being the Goddess Reborn and all that jazz. Unfortunately, the old saying "With age comes wisdom" does not apply to this man. The man was shallow and close-minded, preferring the religious side of any and every argument rather than the practical and logical side. If the rumors were to be believed, then Grishom and those close to him within the Church are responsible for the halt of technological advances past simple muzzle-loading firearms. Magic, on the other hand, was slowly advancing but not making much of a difference either.
The Marine was immediately subject to harassment every time the two were to be in the same area of one another. It was a miracle that the Marine's own patience lasted this long to begin with. Ever since he had ended the previous war and had brought Olga Discordia to the very heart of the Seven Shields, the Archbishop has personally seen to it that the dreaded Gore Knight is to be demonized in public. The sectors of each Shield Kingdom that were highly devoted to the Church ate up these words without a second thought. Far too engrossed were they in their religion that they are blinded to the current conflict happening.
The Archbishop was rather frail in his build, standing a mere 5'9"/175.26 cm compared to his own 7'4"/223.52 cm height. The robes he wore were that fitting of someone his rank: white to resemble the 'purity' of the man wearing it, with golden symbols to resemble the 'humility' within him. The cap on him was also in the same color scheme with the same gaudy golden symbols decorating it. His hair was graying and short, with his beard going past his own chest. His eyes were blue, cold despite all the years taking their toll on his body. Any exposed skin, like his face, showed clear wrinkles signifying his old age.
Currently, the Archbishop was giving a not-so-subtle glare at the Marine, who simply returned the gesture with a harsh glare of his own from behind his ice-cold blue visor. He had no time for this. Apart from Grishom, the others within the war council took notice of the Marine and of Zan.
"Ah! Sir Taggert and Lady Zan have arrived," one of them, Claudia's retainer judging by her Dawn Templar insignia emblazoned on her dress's corset, walked towards the two and led them to where they are to be seated for this meeting.
Within a few minutes, Celestine and Olga walked through the doors in near perfect sync with Chloe and Claudia following close behind. Their arrival gave an air of authority over everyone within the war council room.
Except for the Marine.
The two currently sat on their designated spots, the highest within the war council. Once they were seated, the meeting was officially started.
"Gentlemen and Ladies of the War Council, good day," the people present greeted them back verbally, while the Marine simply gave a nod to them.
"This meeting is officially underway," Claudia spoke in a tone that spoke of authority. "We are gathered here today to discuss further on how to deal with our enemies, the Kuro Inu," no sooner did those words leave the Dawn Templar's lips, others within the war council scowled their disdain.
"Those traitorous heretics shall fall, no doubt of that," one of those near the Marine, Sir Mikhail Pantielle, spoke up. "If I may, your Grace," he began, "I can mobilize those under my command to begin fortifying whatever villages that are vulnerable as to prevent these rabid dogs," the Marine chuckled internally at that, "any form of ground should they approach our capital." He finished his piece with a firm tone. The others began to consider those words, especially the ones who were well versed in military tactics.
Then of course, enter the idiotic nutjobs. The ones who were more concerned about their own reputations and lands than of actual warfare. "And what of us?" A nobleman, whose name the Marine could care less for, spoke up in challenge to what Mikhail was proposing. "Who exactly would defend us when these horrid dogs breach through the walls?" The Marine grumbled before speaking up.
"You're rich, aren't you?" Everyone blinked at his words. "Then you wouldn't have a problem with this. You can pay for some good guards to protect you little shits if you're so concerned," the Archbishop saw this as an opportunity to butt in.
"Oh? And how do more sell-swords solve this problem, Gore Knight?" Rolling his shoulder, the Marine replied.
"Who said sell-swords? Maybe you should spend less money on unnecessary bullshit and more on actually progressing your nation's ways," the Archbishop narrowed his eyes.
"Are you saying that we stray from the Light that the Goddess Serena has shone onto these lands for nearly two millennia?"
"If you've been in this light, then I can see why it's fading," the Marine growled his response. Many within the war council stiffened. The Archbishop sputtered.
"H-how dare you?! To assume that the Light is fading is heresy!" The Marine simply shrugged before leaning back into his seat.
"Enough. Now isn't the time for arguing like a bunch of babes," Olga spoke up, prompting the Archbishop to hold his tongue and the Marine to simply roll his eyes from behind his visor. "There are many strategic areas that are still neutral so to speak. If we can get to those areas before the Kuro Inu does, then it's a step closer to victory, don't you agree?"
"The Dark Elf witch speaks true," a noblewoman muttered under her breath. "Yes, there are still areas that haven't been controlled by these dogs just yet, but they are not in our grasp either. Currently, some of our forces are heading towards a selected few of these points as we speak."
"Only a few?" The noblewoman nodded.
"Unfortunately, our forces are spread out thin and the new training regimes," everyone looked towards the Marine as the noblewoman spoke of this, who simply gave a 'thumbs up' in response, "are draining the energy of our new recruits."
"It seems like our Gore Knight," the Archbishop spoke with clear venom, "intends to cripple our military strength by having them stray from the Light!"
"It keeps them on their toes. Besides," the Marine leaned forward, "I'm shaping these boys up for the coming war." He turned to one of the more level-headed members within the war council. A logistician, he remembered.
"How are our supply lines?"
"If there are no complications, it would take a week at most for the supply caravans to reach each of our forces given how near, relatively speaking, these strategic key points are to begin with." The Marine nodded.
"And of the new weapons Rad's been pumping out?" This question drew confused looks from most of those within the war council.
"What new weapons?" At that, the Marine instantly began to look at each and every one present.
"The new gear currently being developed by the Halflings over at Rad. Has there been any complications or any progress made?" At this, the Archbishop gave a condescending smirk.
Oh... that no good little-!
The Marine had to restrain himself from throttling that arrogant prick then and there. No use making a bloody mess, especially in here of all places.
"We're currently fielding the repeating handheld ballistae to some specialized troops," Zan spoke up, grabbing their attention. Pulling out her own repeating handheld ballista, she elaborated further.
"It won't be as large or as heavy as mine, however. They are lighter and shoot smaller but faster crossbow bolts instead," she spoke as she held up the weapon in one hand and rotated it so the others could see what it looks like. The Archbishop scowled as she did this.
"Of course, we equip our fine soldiers with the weapons of demons," he sneered. "This holds no honor, your Grace!" He exclaimed to Celestine.
"I don't see you giving any ideas," the Marine coldly spoke up. The Archbishop scowled at him in response.
"I don't need to, for the Goddess's Light shines upon me!"
"That makes it even worse; you rely too much on some sky mommy to do shit," his remark sent an uproar heading his way.
"Goddessless heretic!"
"May Serena damn you for that!"
"Repent those words, sinner!"
The Marine's eye twitched before grabbing something from subspace and pointing it towards the ceiling. The M500 revolver gave off a thundering boom that silenced everyone present. The .500-Magnum round went straight through the ceiling, making a hole the size of a coin but leaving a lasting impression on everyone present.
"I don't know about people," he slowly spoke, noting that their hearing was muffled from the massive report of the revolver in his hand, "but last I heard, religion wasn't too helpful."
It took a while, but everyone's hearing went back to normal. The more faithful ones of the war council would have spoken up again, but a stern look from Lady Celestine and the twirling of the small, silver contraption within the Gore Knight's hand discouraged them from doing so.
"This right here," he held up the large-framed revolver for them to see, "is a testament to the advancements of technology back in my nation. You little shits may have muzzleloaders but against this little beauty," he pushes the cylinder to the side and ejects the spent cartridge to load a new .500-Magnum round, "they're shit." Closing the revolver's action, he finished his piece, leaning back into his chair but still holding that air of alertness.
Claudia could see it in his posture. He was ready to pounce once a threat makes itself clear.
Zan gulped heavily from the entire scene. If that was him annoyed, then she doesn't want to see him when he's angered.
By nightfall, the war council was over, with the members present heading home or to wherever they were staying. The Marine was about to leave as well when Lady Celestine's voice reached to him.
"Sir Taggert?" Her voice seemed to falter when she spoke to him. He turned his head to her before replying.
"You need something, Ma'am?" She seemed to perk up when he had acknowledged her.
"I was wondering if I may have a moment of your time, Sir Taggert." Now that raised an eyebrow. Normally he would decline and head back to his quarters. But considering that the Argent Energy flowing through his veins made it near impossible to sleep bar certain occasions, he might as well humor her.
"Well, I've nothing to do," Celestine sent a smile his way before turning and motioning Olga over. Her movements were graceful, as were Olga's responding movements.
"Splendid," the Dark Elf Queen spoke, "now then, shall we head off to somewhere more private?"
"I'm to assume that this is something important?" The Goddess Reborn nodded. The Marine simply nodded.
"Lead the way."
[---]
It took thirty minutes to get to Celestine's private chambers, mostly because both elven monarchs wanted to 'take the scenic route' as Olga so gracefully explained. That annoyed the Marine, but he also noted that there was something off from them.
To the untrained eye, none can be discerned from the way the two elves carried themselves. Their poise and their gait carried that fine blended air of grace, authority, and elegance. But in the eyes of one such as the Marine, one could pick up the stiffness in their step, the slight pauses with each limb.
They were afraid of something. He didn't know who, he didn't know what, but if left unchecked, this will leave the two vulnerable to being assassinated or worse.
Once they were all in the room, Celestine used the magic that was bestowed upon her once she was born to seal the doors shut as well as down the drapes to cover up the windows. The Marine took note of how quickly this was all done, not even six seconds.
Now they had his curiosity.
Once she was certain nothing can peek in at them, Olga casted a silence type of spell that engulfs the room, the kind that was designed so that nothing spoken within a room ever leaves it until the spell is lifted.
Sighing in relief, Celestine began to lie on her bed. Olga simply sat on the left side, humming for a while before the Marine spoke to them both.
"So why exactly did you drag me here, you two?" The Marine immediately went down to business.
The two elves looked to one another before nodding. Olga decided to speak up first.
"We had encountered a set of visions regarding you." That grabbed his attention, stepping closer towards the two monarchs. When they heard no response, Olga elaborated further.
"It was surreal, the visions. There were those odd names. Mars City, Delta Labs, Board of Directors... So many more as well," she trailed off, trying to recall more of those strange names.
The Marine was silent. He knew exactly what she was speaking of.
"Then this vision led us to a tomb of sorts, with a large coffin..."
"Sarcophagus," Olga blinked at the Marine suddenly speaking up.
"Pardon?" the Marine sighed and grabbed a nearby chair to sit down upon, the wood creaking and groaning at the massive weight suddenly placed upon it.
"That 'coffin' you guys saw was a sarcophagus," he looked at both of them.
"Specifically, my sarcophagus," with those three words, he had stunned them into silence. Leaning forward, he spoke.
"What else did you two see?" At this, Celestine answered him.
"This woman, I-I believe her name was Oliv-Olivia P-Pierce," the two elves picked up the Marine's fist clenching rather harshly at the mention of that woman's name.
"Whoever she was, she was rather obsessed about your... uhm, sarcophagus," Celestine continued. She really didn't feel good when she had said those words. It felt wrong to tell someone about their resting place.
And now comes the rather morbid part.
"Sir Taggert? Did you... die?" Celestine nervously asked.
The Marine fell silent. A second had passed, then two seconds, then three seconds, until around ten seconds before he gave his answer.
"Yes."
The silence as deafening once that one word left the lips of the Marine. The Marine decided to break it.
"Show me." Celestine blinked at his words, then Olga.
"W-what?"
"Show me what you two saw in the visions." He said in a tone with firm authority. The two elves looked to one another.
"Sir Taggert-"
"Now," he interrupted, voice still firm. Celestine sighed and getting out from the comforts of her bed.
She looks at Olga, the Dark Elf Queen of the Jagged Crown nodding to the Goddess Reborn.
"Alright, but I'll need you to be still, Sir Taggert," the Marine simply nodded in response.
"We'll also require you to remove your helmet, Sir Taggert," Olga spoke. He grunted, reaching for the bottom of his helmet and depressing
the buttons to release it. The familiar hissing of pressurized air rapidly flowing accompanied the removing of his helmet.
Celestine shuddered at the sight of his face. She had an inkling of an idea just what vile creatures can deal such lasting scars and wounds.
One hand from Celestine and another from Olga, fingertips glowing with some form of energy, were placed on the sides of his exposed head.
It was instant, the moment their fingers touched his exposed head. To the normal person, all the images passed so fast that they were a blur. But the Marine was able to see everything that Celestine and Olga had seen in perfect detail.
The first vision showed him the outskirts of that tomb, the soldiers accompanying the scientists, Olivia finding his sarcophagus, the transporting of his sarcophagus to Mars City, the laboratory room, and Samuel Hayden. He had seen them with perfect detail, his eyes never missing anything.
Then the next vision gave him a bit of a headache.
Hayden had placed him in the same ward room his squad members were recuperating as the bastard had so nicely put it. That bastard removed their biochips, too, rendering them unable to move anything at all. By the time he was able to move again, the first thing he did was immediately storm the bastard's office. That got him charged with assaulting a superior officer and of insubordination, which would've landed him in a post as a security detail on Mars City.
On that very same day, however, was when Hell had decided to make its presence known. It had sent everyone into a panic, creating chaos and confusion which allowed the demons to quickly slaughter those caught unawares. He remembered having to fight his way through the city.
After half an hour or so had passed, Celestine and Olga had released their fingers from the Marine's head. They were silent, all three of them. No one said anything, the room being as quiet as the graves. The Marine stood up from his seat, turning around and heading towards the doors.
"Sir Taggert?" Celestine's voice reached him as he had just placed his hand on one of the handles. He kept silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Ma'am. I'll be going now," with that, he pushes through the doors and leaves the two elves in the room.
They watched him leave, the large man with the green plating walking down the halls and sooner out of sight by rounding a corner.
Celestine didn't feel right, and why would she? She had just seen glimpses of his life. And she had shown it to him, made him relive those moments. Her stomach twisted at that thought. She felt as though she had violated something within that man.
"Olga?" The Dark Elf looked towards her in response. "Did we... do the right thing?" A sigh was her answer, Olga rubbing her face lightly with one hand.
"I don't know the answer, Celestine..." She glanced at the slightly open door then to her companion.
"I don't know."
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
-In Dragundaala; Royal Castle/Around the same time-
"My apologies, Sir Flaynithere," the aged voice of Julian Dragundaala spoke, drawing the attention of those within the dining area as the king regarded the large Draco-Demon within their presence, "but you want to do what?"
Cygnis rolled his eyes and gave a guttural sigh, causing some of the guards to raise their weapons at him; looks like he was going to go over it again. Seriously, it was like he was living in some weird show or series where the character has to repeat what has been said just so the audience can get some context for the scenes to come.
Either that, or like one of those weird fanfictions his grandfather had stumbled upon somewhere. He shuddered at the memory of those things. In the dark corners of his mind, he felt as though that the amount of buckshot, rockets, grenades, bullets, kinetic rails, and even Tiberium blasts weren't enough to destroy them from existence.
Argh! Focus!
Taking a deep breath and then exhaling, the dragonoid explained to the king once more.
"I'm planning on heading on over to Eostia," his voice came off as what one would expect from a dragon-like beast. "I heard there was some war brewing there."
King Julian nodded, "And what do you hope of finding in our ally's lands, Lord Flaynithere?" The dragonoid puffed a smoke ring before answering.
"Some clues, hopefully. Me crashing into your nation wasn't by accident, it would appear," his answer drew some looks of confusion. The dragonoid reached out and grabbed another turkey leg before taking a large bite out of it. Swallowing the chunk of meat, he continues.
"I've been sensing some crazy amounts of energy coming from that place. Among them, I've picked up five energy signatures that I'm most familiar with." Cygnis leans back and releases another puff of smoke.
"All of them being in the same country? Can't be a coincidence, it can't be." Cygnis spoke as he finished his meal. He stands up from his seat and strides over to the doors.
"I'll be in the sparring yard if anyone needs me." With those words, he left.
King Dragundaala was in deep thought, the words of the Draco-Demon holding weight on him. He knows that he shouldn't trust the words of a demon, especially one belonging to the same species with a fixation to his kingdom, but something in that Cygnis Flaynithere's words hold merit.
Within his kingdom, the Magi Institute has also been experiencing similar waves of energy. After some investigation, these energy waves all have one point of origin.
Eostia, on the continent of Selenus, where their allies, the Seven Shields, are currently at war with the traitorous Kuro Inu Mercenary group.
Soon after, most of the guests have left, leaving only the royal family and close friends within the dining hall. King Dragundaala was still in deep thought when his daughter had spoken to him.
"Father?" Her voice reached his ears, bringing him out of his thinking.
"Ah, y-yes dear daughter?" Catue finished her meal and spoke.
"I was wondering, if you would allow it, if I can aid our allies in Eostia personally?" That got a reaction from him. Normally he would happily grant his daughter's request, but this time it was different.
"My dear, you couldn't possibly be serious!" Catue simply nodded.
"Of that, father, I am. Our allies are in danger and the threat they are facing is greater than what they or we have experienced before," she replied. "If I can have you-"
"You cannot, young lady! It is too dangerous! I forbid it!" Her father exclaimed before she could finish, making her flinch at the sudden response. He held firm, adding in a few more words filled with worry, "If you get harmed or worse, I'll never forgive myself."
"I won't be alone, father. Perhaps if I were to accompany Sir Flay-"
"That is out of the question, young lady; we do not fully know the capabilities of the Draco-Demon and we are unsure of where his true loyalties lie." King Dragundaala said his voice level and firm as he cut off his daughter.
"It's too much of a risk."
"Then perhaps it would be best if a few soldiers were to accompany her," Jindrack's voiced out his suggestion from where he was seated. His words made them look over to Catue's fiancée with mixed reactions.
"You would risk the life of your fiancée for this?" Jindrack shook his head in response.
"No, for I would be accompanying her, and Sir Flaynithere if he would come with," he added as the older ones present listened.
"Can we trust this Draco-Demon?"
"How will we know this beast won't turn his back on them?"
"Perhaps if we sent a Battle Mage or two, it would deter this beast from openly attack them."
"And if the beast has immunity to magic?"
"Then we shall send some of our best knights to accompany Princess Dragundaala and her fiancée to aid our Battle Magi."
"Enough," though calm and in an even voice, the manner in which Queen Dragundaala had said it made everyone fall silent. "Why don't we ask my daughter if she is certain in her decision?" She locked eyes with her own daughter, her own gaze firm as any mother's gaze would be.
"Now dear," she started, "are you absolutely certain of doing this? Though you are capable, there are always those that will best you in any way." Her voice was even in tone, but with a hint of worry within her words.
Catue simply nodded. "I am certain, mother. You and father have always told me that a true ruler always looks out for their allies. And I am doing just that: looking out for my allies." Nina didn't respond verbally, choosing to nod instead. Turning to her husband, she spoke.
"Julian, I want you to gather four of our best knights and two of our best Battle Magi. If our daughter, her fiancée and Sir Flaynithere are to venture out into Eostia, I would prefer if very little of them are to be harmed." Julian sighed at her words but gave a tired smile in response.
He nearly forgot that prior to becoming his wife, Nina had been one of the chief tacticians during his days as a prince despite being a year or so younger than him.
"Fine, I shall send the messengers to the Magi Institute and to our generals. It should take less than a week to find the appropriate ones to protect our child."
Catue smiled and looked towards Jindrack, who gave her a smile in response.
"And what of Sir Flaynithere?"
"We'll talk it over with him in the morning, it is getting late after all." Julian answered Jindrack's question.
[-]
Meanwhile, outside the dining hall, Cygnis Flaynithere had been listening in on the entire conversation. Hearing enough, the dragonoid begins to walk to where he would be sleeping. His face was impassive, with his golden eyes taking in the details of the halls as he passed by some of the servants of the castle.
"So..." his grandfather's voice echoed within the confines of his head, "Looks like we're gonna have some tagalongs for the ride."
"Yeah," Cygnis responded mentally, passing through the hallways of Castle Dragundaala, "that's good. Means I won't have to babysit the little brat after all."
"You sure about that, kiddo?" while he didn't see it, he knew his grandfather Nithor was having a confident smirk on his draconic face. "Little girl seems mighty interested in you."
"Oh shut it, you old fossil. She's just curious since I'm the only 'Draco-Demon' that's actually decent in clothing," Cygnis took a left. "Either way, the little brat'll get bored sooner or later."
"So you never noticed the energy coming off from her?" his grandfather's question made Cygnis stop in his tracks.
"What?"
"You heard me," Nithor responded. "That little brat has some interesting energy waves coming from her. Hell, not just her but her mom and dad, too. They got the energy of dragons, raw and concealed."
"That can't be right," Cygnis retorted. "The only way for non-Drakonids to gain the power of dragons is either through a bloodline with at least one Drakonid or..." His golden eyes widened upon realization.
"That's right, boy," Nithor spoke. "It was faint, probably because their bloodline's been around for a relatively long time, but it was there." Cygnis did not like where this was going.
"They got their hands on a Dragon's Shard."
"But that's a one in a million chance! The only fuck we know who's been hoarding the Shards would be..." Cygnis trailed off.
"That's right," the two came to the same answer.
"D'Sparil." The two Drakonids scowled at the mention of their long-time foe: the one individual responsible for Cygnis's trail of vengeance, one of the most powerful sorcerers across the multiverse, and a general Grade-A motherfucker.
Cygnis made a beeline towards where he was staying.
It was time to get psyched for the coming days.
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
-Within the forests on the outskirts of Thorn/At the same time-
"HYAH!" A Macheterang smashed against the tree she was using, creating a deep furrow in a diagonal direction. Her mentor tsked in response and shook his head.
"Again!" tiredly, Ella gripped the odd-looking sword with both hands and made another diagonal slash, essentially creating an X pattern on the tree. Malcolm Striker tsked once again.
"Too slow, you need to use the weight of the blade to your advantage."
"What the hell do you think I was doing?!" Ella snapped at him.
"You were putting out sloppy slashes, kiddo. The faster you can slash your target, the better you'll get overall." He puffed out a small smoke cloud before continuing.
"Although," he took in Ella's current build, "we may need to build up some muscle before any of those." He grumbled as he fished out another cigarette to light.
"Then why the hell did you make me slash at a dozen trees?!" in response, Striker flicked Ella across the forehead.
"So you can get a feel around it. It won't do you any good if you got the muscles but not the experience to hold a weapon." He puffed out a smoke ring from the new cigarette before continuing. "Well, that, and I thought you could learning a thing or two about lumberjacking."
"Gee," his apprentice muttered in annoyance, "I'm so lucky that I have such a thoughtful and wise master." He grinned in response.
"Yeah, you better believe it, kiddo." He replied before surveying the cleared forest around him.
A dozen stumps of what used to be trees surrounded him and his apprentice, essentially making a clearing within the forest. Now that he got a good look at the trees, he could tell the similarities between these trees and of the cherry blossom trees back in Japan, although these trees seem to be a deeper shade of magenta rather than of a pink hue.
"I wonder if Shizune would like these trees." He mused, remembering clearly of the one woman he had met in an alternate Japan filled with arcane knowledge, smiling fondly.
"Well," dragging himself out of his thoughts, he continued, "once you're done cutting down that tree, we'll take five. After that, we'll work on your marksmanship."
"Yosh!" his apprentice pumped her fist in excitement.
"Or lack of it."
"Hey!" Ella squawked in response to his last words.
The forest was soon filled with the sounds of a teenage girl trying to hit her master with a deceptively heavy blade while her master just laughed in response to her attempts.