Eodem: A Rifle And Sword Adventure 22 Chapter 22: Back In Action

The Manila, the Naval Logistics s.h.i.+p escorting the Tyr Rian delegation to Kesserheim landed back in the New Albany Stardock at 5:56 am. A Red-Carpet welcoming map was set up where the docking bay was meant to unhinge her ramparts. Awaiting them was Governor White and Prince Clovich as they restlessly await the landing procedures of the s.h.i.+p before the pa.s.sengers disembarked. The Prince was anxious of comparative stress to his normal day to day duties of administering his lands. Did the 'miraculous' procedure he agreed to have his dear sister undergo through work? Will she run to him to the embrace of his arms? Will they finally have to ditch the carrying cloth that his servants have to painstakingly carry on over when she had to move away from the safety of her chambers?

"Feeling nervous?" Governor White asked.

"I just, am not so sure. Ever since I took over Tyr Rian about 6 years ago and I am still trying to understand what my father had left behind." Clovich confessed.

"How was your father and also your mother? I never heard you talk much about them."

"My Mother died 'of sadness' when she gave birth to third child after Aria. My Father was no longer the same afterwards." Clovich explained.

"There's a THIRD Tyr Rian child? How come I never met him?" the governor's eyes widened.

"It was malformed, too tiny, pink colored. SHE pa.s.sed away a week later…" Clovich said.

"I am so sorry." White apologized.

A new dimension to Clovich's character opened up in the Governor's mental journal. He studied meticulously all the natives of Tyr Rian, knowing their Curriculum Vitaes like the type of 'educational background' of primitive construction, their jobs which were precursors to more modern jobs that the UFE take for granted (Alchemist=Chemist, Innkeeper=Hotelier, Merchant=Businessman and City Guard=Policeman) and there psychological aspects (fears, aspirations, worries, memories and desires).

Having hear Clovich suffer through what the medical term from Dr. Lee Haneul being 'Preterm birth' was heart wrenching, the type that pierces the soul and the soul's soul to put it in to picture in his head. Technology back in the UFE Core worlds would have easily addressed that unfortunate turn of events. It was a shame they should have been in this planet sooner. These people, despite their access to this so-called magic still had primitive understanding of the nature, science and physics.

"I will see to it you and n.o.body else have to suffer like that ever again." Jeremy whispered.

"How can I be sure that you can keep giving me and my people these… 'miracles'?" the prince asked.

"We have been there before." He briefly answered him sternly.

The Ramp felt down, slightly off the alignment of the plush red carpet by a few inches to the right (or maybe left). Out comes out Stryder Group who marched down the ramp with an eagerness of a sailor wis.h.i.+ng to meet his legs with solid land once again. Surrounded by them was none other than Clovich's dear sister Aria herself alongside her entourage. What he noticed about her now is that she is now standing upright but was being aided by two crutches tucked below her shoulders. Her newly strengthened feet acted out as a support for her as she trotted down the ramp with some aid from her accompanying handmaidens.

"Brother!" Aria exclaimed as she painstakingly pushed herself to him.

It wasn't what he exactly had in mind when he saw her again but his legs instinctively moved forward as he rushed to hug his sister.

"Aria! I am so happy you returned safe. Did it go well? The necklace? How was Kesser…" he began to unleash a flurry of questions at his young sister who promptly hugged him back, letting go of her crutches.

Unlike before she would have to be hugged from the bed or through a chair but it was a whole new sensation to embrace her shoulder to shoulder.

"I am well brother. The Earth Humans have been nothing but kind to me during my excursion. And here…" Aria answered ecstatically as she showed him the same personal memento that her brother gave to her before her departure.

The Prince could only sigh in relief as he embraced Aria deeper.

"Wait, you're not exactly perfectly… 'running to my arms' however. I thought they cured you of your ailments?" Clovich asked.

"She is still getting use to her new legs. Not being able to walk for that long until now can do that to you." Samantha explained as she picked up the fallen crutches and pa.s.sed the twin walking implements to Aria.

"I… Prepared a lavish feast for your return dear sister. Governor White is invited, you and I have so many things to discuss…" Clovich said as he and his bodyguards merged with Aria's entourage as they made their way to their coaches that will take them back to their castle.

"I will catch up with you in a minute. Lieutenant, you have moment?" Governor White turned to Samantha.

"At the ready." Samantha naturally stood in attention, her arms and hands behind her eager to her next orders.

"You remember the Adventurer's Guild?" the Governor said.

"I do." Samantha nodded.

"Well we began the Outreach Initiative while you were away. We are going to take some of their 'Requests' all free of charge to gain some good will from the locals." The Governor said.

"That explains the captured wildlife we've seen on base. Guess the time has come to become a bunch of 'DnD heroes' now?" Samantha asked. A slight chuckle escaped her mouth at the prospect.

"Yeah, pretty much. Sir Lutheor Mirrien and Captain Mendoza will be there to put you into the details. And silly as this sounds for you Boots, this is the only way we can get along with these folks so I expect you maintain your professionalism on your… ehem… 'Quest'." White smiled showing a bit of his upper teeth.

In his and even some of the soldier's perspectives, who have earlier been sent out on such missions were shown to have the excitement of 'going into an RPG for reals'. But he is concerned that the soldiers might be more lax than usual. They are all in a possibly hostile new world after all.

He quietly left Stryder Group as he ran back to Prince Clovich to attend that banquet.

"So, we are going on a quest?" Crocker laughed as he asked.

"It sounds d.a.m.n like it. Does that make me the Ranger if we are going by Dungeon's and Dragons talk? I honestly never played that game before." Obediah commented.

"I got the Gadgets and that makes me an Artificer and Iris the Mage or Warlock, I played some real games and digital games before." Kayin said.

"Artificer is a Homebrew cla.s.s! Not an official one! I am the Rogue then… and Aliathra can be the Cler---oh wait I forgot she left for that Logging Town." Diaz said as he realized that the Elf is now missing by his side.

"What is this 'D and D' you speak off? Some sort of children's game? You all seem to snicker like them when you say it." Iris added.

"Me and Kayin can explain on the way to the Guild Office. So Iris, 'D and D' means 'Dungeons and Dragons' we are supposed to gather up on a table, make a character and roll some dice to determine ---" Samantha huddled up with Iris alongside Kayin as they walked back to their tactical all terrain car.

----------------- (An hour later at the Grey Order Guild Office Building of Tyr Rian)--------

To say the humble two-story establishment was abuzz with activity is an understatement to say the least according to Flynn the Tyr Rian branch's Guild Manager. He had never seen in his entire career seen so many intrepid looking Adventurers or more as the Foreign Soldiers insist on their duty of 'Volunteered Peacekeeping' gathered inside the humble establishment. An Officer stood commandingly on top of a box declaring out loud to the UFE Soldiers the details of the Job Requests on the board.

All of that language barrier breakthroughs were all in part thanks to the linguistic shortcut that Iris Cadohagan had provided to the UFE, a group of officers, soldiers and NCO's gained literacy in the local language of the Slaegian Empire called Ioyesian, named after the peninsula where the Empire's Capital of Haringpoint is. During initial studies of the language, linguistic experts from many of the UFE's top universities discovered several phonetic similarities between Ioyese and the little-known Romance Language of Occitan.

Back to the Quests, normally in Flynn's decades-old experience, the Grey Order guild members would be very nitpicky about the promised rewards and who they are working for. There was a heavy bias for more high paying jobs from more financially well-off individuals like a Caravan Escort of a Merchant's Wares or a Bounty Hunt for a notorious brigand by a local lord. This leaves more 'boring' and 'low-risk' quests left hanging like for example defending a farm from pests, signing up for some manual labor in infrastructural development or going down to vermin infested areas and perform some extermination of their nests, all of whom payed meagerly by the peasantry with a handful of copper coins which is the lowest valued currency below silver, gold and a translucent precious metal called 'Scintillite' minted ingots of distinctive shapes and presses that each denomination equal a certain amount of Ducats (1 Copper=1 Ducat; 1 Gold=100 Ducats; 1 Scintillite= 500 Ducats), and that was a best case scenario. Worst case would be a basket of moldy food and mild ale, essentially a free lunch from the New Albany administration and their Military attaches.

From a grand strategic point of view, this leaves development to grind in a to a painfully slow pace. famines, logistical derailments and other economic drawbacks festered while the 'heroes' fight the large beasts for their valuable materials from their corpses or help the wealthy secure the ventures which was threatened by the socio-economic upheaval of the aforementioned neglect of the functional matters of running a healthy state:

"[...] the actual complaint of the worker is the insecurity of his existence; he is unsure if he will always have work, he is unsure if he will always be healthy and he can predict that he will reach old age and be unable to work. If he falls into poverty, and be that only through prolonged illness, he will find himself totally helpless being on his own, and society currently does not accept any responsibility towards him beyond the usual provisions for the poor, even if he has been working all the time ever so diligently and faithfully. The ordinary provisions for the poor, however, leaves a lot to be desired [...]"

Colonel Polonsky implored Governor White to have Prince Clovich explain this injustice when the time is right to bring up such a topic since the priority in the meantime was to gain the local prince's trust and friends.h.i.+p. In the meantime in terms of gaining someone's 'trust and friends.h.i.+p', with unanimous approval from the Military Top Bra.s.s (even from the likes of the hard lining Major Holyfield) that the most righteous thing to do right now was to delegate a significant population of their soldiers to walk up to Tyr Rian's Adventurer's Guild building and start working all of the available quests for Free until more permanent solutions of most of the Princ.i.p.ality's woes can be put into stone. This audacious and revolutionizing (at least for the first time to happen in Gliesia in its entire history of political s.h.i.+fts) initiative was called 'Operation Evimeria' meaning Prosperity in Greek. The aim of the initiative is to restore a sense of order and a sense of pride amongst the medieval and backwards thinking people of Tyr Rian of a better tomorrow through phases of social programs such as the aforementioned Free Quest jobs, free medical clinics conducted by Dr. Lee Haneul and a team of Doctors and Paramedics for the first phase of the initiative, the next phase which requires cooperation and political connections with the people of Tyr Rian to conduct engineering projects to turn the Princ.i.p.ality into a modern state with instructional workshops on how to create an effective government, educational programs to introduce the concept of 'Education-For-All' to the medieval age people and then finally a huge engineering effort of modern day infrastructure like roads, irrigation and finally electricity which will make Tyr Rian with pun intended, the bright new star in Gliesia.

With the aid of their 'divine' (as from the perspective of the natives) equipment like Guns, Night Vision Goggles and everyday store-bought rat poison that you can grab off of a shelf in a convenience store, they were able to quickly and easily resolve many of Tyr Rian's Quests, low-leveled to high-end much to a grateful populace of both peasantry and n.o.bility. All of which at the cost of Goodwill and friends.h.i.+p.

"My family is starving! We would pay any price for someone to protect my farm from the monsters and raiders!" a Peasant told Captain Mendoza. The farmer held a sack of his impoverished family's savings insisting that the UFE Captain take it.

"You need this more than I do sir." Mendoza politely rejected the monetary reward.

He and his squad had to protect a peasant's farm during the week before a big harvest of his crops. During the Harvest season, it was a golden time of opportunity for unscrupulous individuals and pestilent beasts looking for an easy meal to rush into defenseless farms and ruin their crops. This particular case as Mendoza Noted was a desperate cry for help, the family of the peasant was consisting of the father, his wife and a young daughter who look no older than just above fifteen years of age. If their harvest would have failed then they would have been forced to either sell of their land, forced into crime or have the females resort to selling their bodies to sleazy men looking for a one-night stand. But thanks to Captain Mendoza and his squad, they can rest easy this year. He and countless more UFE Soldiers have been vigilantly protecting the Farmlands of Tyr Rian from those who wish to bring the peasants means of livelihood to harm. So far, they have covered about 78% of all the farms in Tyr Rian yet their quotas for their jobs is the unanimous 100% coverage of the entire Princ.i.p.ality during Harvest Season.

"We will never forget your kindness." The Peasant Farmer bowed as he pocketed his money and walked away happily.

Just the sight of a peasant feeling for the first time in his despondent life that he was feeling protected, valued and empowered by these 'Sky People' made many to believe that the UFE are Angels sent from heaven to be with them was a very moving and sprightly motivation for the UFE Soldiers in the Guild to aim for 100% pacification. Plus, it felt good to do some humanitarian work, even though some of the cases they have encountered several 'beast folks' like Fox People, Horned Humanoid people and sometimes Orc Nomads too.

"Hey Lieutenant Rose! Good to see you again. How was Kesserheim?" Mendoza waved to Samantha as she and the rest of Stryder group entered the Guild house.

"It went well. The Princess is going to walk again much to her brothers delight to say it straight." Samantha nodded. "So, patch me in with the situation Captain."

"Yes of course, well my squad plus a few dozen more are right now protecting some farmlands for the Season and we are about to rap it all up. Some Hazmats and CRBN have been fumigating the Sewers and s.h.i.+tholes lately of all the nasty stuff which leaves this odd one out for you and Stryder to take on." Mendoza explained.

The captain pulled grabbed a Manila Envelope from his back and pa.s.sed it along to the Lieutenant whom promptly opened it.

"This looks really out of place. It's a letter from a Company from the UFE Core Worlds." Samantha commented.

The paper was an official looking and business-like letter that was requesting for an escort service of a large Employment Agency called 'Integral Hands'. The Company looks into recruiting talented people and place them in jobs where their potentials can be utilized. Curiously, this company wants to see what kind of special talents can the people of Gliesia can do.

"Hey, I know those guys, they are a… uh… ancillary company in line with Aparo." Diaz said.

"Oh, you do? Who do they recruit?" Clay asked.

"Well its quite… dynamic to say the least based of my personal experience in my 'dealings' with them. Integral Hands have clients in the Entertainment business, Private Military Contractors and Modelling and even Culinary Arts to name a few. The guy probably someone that my old dear friend Bobby must have brought in through his connections." Diaz answered.

"PMC's seems pretty out of place Vinny for a company who mainly looks for Dancers, the next Miss July and a cook for some fancy schmancy Mich.e.l.lin star joint." Crocker commented.

"Look… do you guys wanna see a big t.i.tty fox girl in the cover of Playboy or not?" Diaz asked with emphasis.

"YES!" majority of the UFE soldiers inside the Guild house including Crocker, Obediah and Clay yelled in unison. Samantha and Mendoza facepalmed, hiding their reddening face at the circ.u.mstances that could entail whilst Kayin was taken agape by Diaz's words. Frozen for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"That's… that's I can't even…" Kayin laughed.

"I actually… find that… one… funny…" Samantha giggled the laughter infecting her. Being a moderate geek herself, the prospect of such a find would be groundbreaking.

"So… let's find ourselves a big t.i.tty fox girl for all nerds back home or die trying?" Diaz added.

"And also, the next Big Hit, some 'exotic' mercenaries and a Baker…" a very flashy man in flamboyant Tyrian Purple suit walked in front of Stryder group with an eager smile and excited demeanor. His accompanying jewelry of reflective golden rings, chains and plated sun gla.s.ses breathed socio-hierarchical elitism compared to the fatigued draped soldiers, the leather and cloth combo of Flynn the Guildmaster and the amalgamation of modern designer wear and medieval lady clothing of Iris.

"Marco Meria. Talent Scout extraordinaire. I believe you are my escorts this fine day?" the Integral Hands representative initiated his hand forward to shake Samantha's.

All eyes redirected to the Corporate man in his outlandish clothes. Out of place he maybe and visually looking like someone who would run a Red-Light District establishment, Mr. Meria had a briefcase with Integral Hands company logo on it alongside his smartphone and a pocket size notebook with a pen tucked inside the binding while the entire stationary item was tucked on his suit's breast pocket.

"So, we are going to escort you?" Samantha asked.

"Well, since everyone is guarding Farms lately, this dump has been so much lacking in any capable hands. And who is this?" Marco said as the side stepped to Iris being face to face with him.

Marco formed an 'L' shaped gesture on the Vampire Witch, observing every pore and flesh of skin that Iris had.

"You know my dear, I can pull some strings with Playboy to extend their 'Gliesia Special' to add in more women such as your---" Marco said.

"Hey! Back off from Iris!" Kayin interjected. He didn't know if it was defensiveness or just the invasive method of

"Wait, THE Iris? Miss Cadohagan? That woman who helped you understand Ioyese? My apologies! I thought you were just some random guide." Marco apologized. "But I do say, you are indeed attractive my dear. If you do ever decide to pose for Playboy le---"

"Let's just get on with it! So, Mr. Meria. Do you have any leads on any possible people here in Tyr Rian you would like to see?" Kayin said.

"Oh yes, I went to this Dwarf Proprietor named Lutheor Mirrien and he pointed to some promising Candidates." Meria answered as he pulled out his notebook.

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A loud explosion burst out of Kaessi's conical hat as the plumes of white duck feathers transformed into a small fortune of gold ducats to the uproar of the crowd. She then placed the coins down on the table and she smiled as she took of the handkerchief from behind her neck. Several of the men snickered and wooed at her when she removed the neck cloth revealing her cleavage in which she let out a sultry smile. She unfurled the cloth and covered the coin filled table blocking the view of the s.h.i.+ny coins from the crowd that had all gathered outside the city gates of Tyr Rian. All eyes were on her as she performed the tricks. It was a trick any self-aware Illusionist with a penchant of fooling the eyes of all those who see her 'tricks' and use such talents to earn a living through entertaining crowds of onlookers. Yet what makes Kaessi and the rest of the Kastanik Sibling's Traveling Troupe are that they are Visi-Gaiths.

Her people are horned humanoids of fawn like stature of normally 5'2 to 5'8 feet in height with a pair of cloven legs for feet in their bony and pushed backed deformity. Their people about less than a century ago, just known as the Gaith's were from the Eastern Deserts at the farthest reaches of the continent that were conquered by the Dur (Black Tree Pact) Aelves. Those who stayed and were put under the yoke of the Elves were known as the Ostra (East)- Gaiths whilst the ones who fled away were known as the Visi-Gaiths. All Gaiths had horns of various shapes and sizes, some curved back or pointing up to the sky like spears held up. Their skin tone however was much more aesthetically diverse, red as Lava skin which Kaessi had, pallid yellow to almost white-like complexion, pitch black as night and orange like the setting sun.

Her companions that make up the Kastanik's were as followed, the twins Karen-rah and Kal-Lia who were both exceptional musicians and dancers, Dumah a reputable marksman with his bow who would often ask the twins to be subjects of many dangerous 'Shooting Feats' much to the twin's mixed emotional reactions, 'Idiot' or as known by the entire company to be called Ebnon is the Jester and the show's comic relief, in addition to being Kaessi's a.s.sistant when he is not making a fool out of himself for the show. Finally, there is Ashes, a Female Gaith of well-built physical prowess as achievable to a Gaith Female can be with if one can look closely from her bare mid riff, ridges that form the outline of her toned abdomen. She got her name due to her grey skin and her tendencies to use fire when it comes to her Strong-woman stunts like lifting weights, gymnast wires and even weapon swallowing.

Another fact that only a few people knew about the troupe is that they aren't Siblings in the traditional sense. They were all adopted by an impoverished Circus Animal Tamer named Kastanik hence the name. He was long dead of about 5 years prior to that day when Stryder Group and Mr. Meria quietly moved inside the gathered crowd. Kastanik mentored all six of the Gaiths whom he adopted as his own children in their respective occupations. After he died, the 'siblings' in respect to their mentor and father kept his name on their wagon train whenever they travel around between the Slaegian Empire and its puppet states to the Eastern Desert Sultanates.

If that old Gaith was in heaven now he would be proud of his children if not for the fact that Visi-Gaith's are a discriminated group in Gliesia. Gaiths were known to be entertainers but are also stereotypical very free spirited and anarchic individuals. Many of them are perceived to be promiscuous, irresponsive to established authority, general alignments to 'Chaotic' virtues and worst of all very sleight with their hands. It is often blamed on travelling Gaiths of any spike of pickpocketing or robbery due to their innate nimbleness and the Kastanik Sibling's Travelling Troupe were guilty of it. Occa.s.sionally, the Females of the troupe would discreetly perform 'escort services' to rich clients. By their testimonies and their customers, they had 'an exotic appeal with their skin and tails'. For Ebnon, he was also a known filcher and pickpocket who would often steal valuables and occasionally food from merchants to share with his siblings. They have been often chased out of town with a Persona non Grata to boot by enraged wives and angry merchants. Tyr Rian however was their favorite spot due to the less likely chance of them being victims of racially motivated hate crimes and so and so. The new 'Sky People' often call the Gaith's 'Tieflings' due to their similarities but Kaessi hated the fact that the 'Tief-' part in Tiefling sounded like the word Thief.

"And what is this?" Kaessi said as she lifted the veiled table. She gestured her hand upwards with a sultry flair with her feminine hands in presentation.

The coins were transformed to a crudely st.i.tched yet barely presentable stuffed doll. The crowd especially the children who so happen to be their clapped their hands. It wasn't no Build-Bear or a Feisty Pet, it was more of something hand made by an amateur toy maker.

The Visi-Gaith Illusionist picked up the doll and walked towards a crowd of children and gave it to one of the urchins who was delighted with her new toy as she hugged it and cherished it.

"And now for the Twins and their spectacular Beten Riqid dance." She gave way to her 'sisters' as she exits the stage from her left.

The Twins Karen-rah and Kal-Lia ran eagerly into the stage with Karen holding a red tambourine whilst Kal-Lia wielded a sky-blue see-through veil large enough to cover her body from head to waist. Whilst Karen-rah's dance was pa.s.sionate and fiery with intense twists and sudden turning, Kal-Lia was elegant and soothing with a slight tease. There dance's contrast is the basis of their signature Beten Riqid which caught the gaze of all of their audience…

Except Mr. Meria whose eyes were locked into Kaessi. He knew from Lutheor Mirrien's information that Kaessi is by default of being the eldest by one year to be the unofficial boss of the Troupe.

"We need to meet the Magician there." Meria whispered to Samantha.

In professional courtesy, Samantha nodded and gestured her squad to follow their mark through the standing crowd.

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, and it was about to get fun." Crocker gnashed his teeth. He really wanted to see those two 'Tieflings' dance.

The Earth Humans moved their way to the backstage of the travelling troupe where the Siblings rested in between their performances. The Gaith's easily spotted the UFE Humans and they stopped their rest and relaxation time and stood up, their hairs raised and bodies sweating from their brows.

"Your… your one of the Sky People." Kaessi muttered nervously.

She had heard the saying about these strange foreigners. How they came from 'Cities made from the lightest of steel' and their 'Staffs of Thunder' that brought down even the mightiest of foes. To say she and her siblings were terrified was an understatement.

"Ta'amod meakhoray." Ashes, easily the most physically imposing of the troupe told her siblings as they retreated behind her.

The Gaith bared her teeth threateningly as if in their eyes the UFE were like the same people that tried to drive the family apart.

"Relax, we are not here harm you. We… or me I just want to talk." Mr. Meria initiated.

"About what? Leaving?" Ashes asked.

"Oh no, actually I am here to give you some Good News for once." Meria smiled as he opened his briefcase and pulled out several doc.u.ments.

Upon examination from Meria's right side, Lieutenant Rose saw that they were brochures for the old-school Circus Theater Company 'Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey's, and Yi Shu Circus'. She recalled that they had been recently revived thanks to an eccentric Chinese Billionaire who ran Real Estate and Integrated Resorts who has been recently investing in reviving cla.s.sical Bread and Circuses, from Trapezes, Strongmen, Animals and more. She concluded that these 'Tieflings' were going to make a huge draw for the third incarnation of what was once 'the Greatest Show on Earth' with the first Alien Act. The Chinese were always splurge on the exotics.

"You got talent like nothing ever we have seen before and the fact that you look very beautiful and handsome got my boss Yi Shu to say 'that's who I want on my circus!'." Meria said as he pa.s.sed the brochure to Kaessi.

"You can get all that you need and want if you work for them. Food, Shelter and best of all… ahem… security. You don't have to worry about being chased away from angry people and all and look at this magazine photo, imagine you on that cover for all the eyes to marvel at you!" Meria charismatically appealed to their desires and Maslow's needs.

He pa.s.sed to her, in a contract that was conveniently written in Ioyese detailing what the Troupe are obligated to do and will receive in return.

The contract was good for 5 years with a monthly payroll of a n.o.ble's Ransom with housing and food taken care off. All the contract asked was to go through some training to further own their individual skills all paid by the Circus Company before they are let loose to perform through out all of UFE s.p.a.ce for an Interplanetary Tour of all the Core and Frontier Worlds.

"How can we trust you?" Kaessi asked.

"Mirrien told me all about you. And your performance, earlier was truly and I mean TRULY magical. Besides, look at all of you 4, your actually attractive by our standards… outside the… hooves of course." Meria commented.

"Sister! Who is this?" Karen-rah, sweating down from her dancing garment returned backstage with her twin Kal-Lia who was equally sweating and was carrying with her meager and revealing garments, a small collection of coins that were thrown upon their feet of the completion of their performance.

"Hamishepakhah sheli…" Kaessi said in her native tongue.

"Niheyeh 'as.h.i.+yrim!" she exclaimed cheerfully followed by the joyous jubilee that her siblings shouted to heavens as if they yelled for salvation and their prayers were answered.

"I take that as yes." Meria smiled with a sense of accomplishment.

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"Man, it smells horrible." Samantha gagged at the awful smell of the horse dung and hay bales that permeates the Citadel's Public Stables.

"And you are used to these smells?" Meria said as he covered his sensitive nose with his hankerchief. His nasal senses more used to the refined scents of perfume and hygienic floors of the Core Worlds.

"Hey, just make sure you don't all step on them horse s.h.i.+t while we are here… actually can I ask again… why are we here?" Obediah asked.

"Looking for Horse Riders, got a request from some Security Agency from some far-off Frontier Moon asking for some Mounted Security Guards. Heard this place is crawling with Mercs who come with Horses… bleh!" Meria answered a disgusted spit from his mouth followed suit. He was starting to get irritated with the smell.

"Oh, heard it becoming like a… uh Renaissance in the Frontier last I heard. Mounted Police, Ranger and Security Guards. Cheap and doesn't require any much Fuel or Electricity to maintain." Crocker recalled.

The group moved onwards as they pushed their way through the Public Stables. They were relatively right next to one of Tyr Rian's gates so the area was littered with Caravans, Yeomen and Ranchers who groomed, fed and bathed their steeds with their gentle care. Samantha noticed that the horses or what seemed to be like horses here in Gliesia sported more exotic furs and manes. There were purple, crimson and pale blue breeds of horses alongside the more mundane, brown, golden and white furred ones. Their legs were of a very muscular and thick built due to all the work that these horses are made to do every day carrying the carts and people around with the appet.i.te to match with all of the tremendous amounts of hay being poured on their mangers.

Stryder group took care to keep on their escort mark yet Samantha felt nervous being in such a potentially unkept place. She was still new to the realities of Pre-Industrial Era living and she shudders at the thought of having her combat boots (despite being designed to endure far more harsher means of punishment) step on a large mound of horse dung. The Lieutenant would scream at the thought of it happening to her so she focused on what she treaded upon rather than what was ahead of her.

"Ouch!" Samantha said as she felt a blunt force struck her in the head.

She barely kept her balance stable as she looked up to meet her eyes with the angered eyes of a large intimidating man in heavy chain mail armor.

"Watch where you going you dumb girl!" he roared.

"Sorry about that." Samantha apologized.

"Wait a minute, I know your kind. Your one of them 'Sky People' aren't you? The ones protecting the farms?" he asked.

"Yeah, we are working tirelessly to help the good peo---" Samantha was about to parrot a cookie cutter phrase when one was asked about their actions for Operation Evimeria. When a warm and sticky matter impacted her on the cheek.

She reflexively shut her eyes as she placed her finger on the foreign substance that impacted her face. It was saliva.

"You cahooting b.i.t.c.h! You just ruined me I tell you!" the armored man said.

"Ruined you?!?!" Samantha exclaimed in confusion.

"Me and my crew 'been livin' off of protecting these pathetic pesants for their money for five years and you came along and offering to do all of that for free. And also, the Grey Order building is offering no more jobs cuz you Sky People keep taking them all for free." He said. His voice rumbled with resentment.

It then hit the Lieutenant over the head. She would have known this might have caused some unintended consequences in terms of the Adventurer/Mercenary-oriented Economy of the implications of a subst.i.tute, i.e. the UFE and their Operation Evimeria public service could do to the Grey Order. Having so many goodwill missions of humanitarian works began to drive out the Adventurer's away due to the UFE subst.i.tuting their services for a much more superior performance at a fraction to no cost versus the lucrative fee's the Grey Order and other Mercenary Group's services for comparatively inferior service.

"But we have been helping you…" Samantha tried to argue.

"You can help by leaving!" the armored man said as he threw a handful of hay at Samantha.

Thankfully, Crocker got in the way of the disrespectful sell sword.

"Do that again and you will have to start to talking to me." Crocker cracked his knuckles readying himself for any escalation of violence.

"Sergeant, excuse but let me handle this." Meria interfered as he turned his eyes to the armored man.

He painted a marketing attractive smile on his face as he let out his inner charm.

"Why h.e.l.lo my good sir? I see that you have been down right now? No money? No food? Too much bad news? Is that your horse behind you by any chance? It's a beautiful one if I say so myself."

"Uh, no governor but my horse is over there… and yeah people like you been taking OUR jobs." The armored man replied, his belligerent voice slightly lowering in tone.

"Are you some sort of Mercenary that comes with his own horse I presume? Is your steed fit and healthy? Are you by any chance… proficient in the ways of horse back riding?" Meria pressed.

"Indeed I am." The man answered honestly.

"Biceps look strong, Feet too, good for stirrups, and proper posture even. I have the solution to all of your worries if you so listen to me." Meria boxed his fingers to a 'focus lens' gesture as he meticulously examined the armored mercenary from every angle. Going by the looks and the man's words alone, he might be the type of man he is looking for.

"Go on…" the mercenary stepped forward listening intently for Meria to explain further, clearly intrigued.

"I know a guy, works in a ranch from a far off… eh… place called… New Corinthia. It's a very mountainous place but ideal for horse back riding. He needs people who are great on horse back riding to help guard the trails from… bandits and other scoundrels." Meria stuttered to best explain the details of the job to the potential candidate.

"Never heard of this 'New Corinthia'? Is it somewhere here in Ysanigrad?" the Merc asked.

"Oh no, you will have to take one of our s.h.i.+ps to ge---" Meria was about to say the truth but he was stuck by even more dirty hay as thrown by the armored mercenary.

"You ain' kidnapping me you silly old tart!" he defiantly yelled.

"Yeah you show those 'Anwar'." heckled a bystander. His expletives were multiplied by a slowly growing crowd of Natives who are slowly surrounding the squad with insidious intent.

Crocker, remembering his experience dealing with such rowdy individuals but also realizing that the native Gliesians are much more easily controlled due to their lack of understanding and the general fear that the UFE foreigners have amongst the populace, he pulled out his sidearm and expelled two warning shots in the air.

To his expectations, the hecklers were silenced, stopped dead in the growing spurt of forming an angry mob of lynching levels of threat a.s.sessments. Some of them even jump in fright at the mere thunder of Crocker's 9mm.

"Sir, this is not working out for us. I suggest we move on from here?" Crocker asked Meria as he helped Samantha get up and wipe away the spit and hay from earlier. Yet in the Lieutenant's own ears, Crocker's voice sounded more like an order than a 'polite suggestion'.

"I think I can let go of some of the finding fee… I told him that getting Mercenaries to agree was going to be a longshot." Meria muttered as he followed Stryder group as he was led away from the Public Stables.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final place that Stryder group that Mr. Meria wanted to visit was the more Affluent District of the Citadel where Devicco's Mansion, now known as the UFE Emba.s.sy and Imported Goods Store was nearby. Samantha can see the fruits of UFE branded Capitalism being shown by the familiar items that she see's the n.o.bles and even their attendants were displaying from T s.h.i.+rts, Umbrellas and even Korean Beauty Products, the face of the Tyr Rian n.o.bility changed almost overnight as they opened their purses to the many merchandise the UFE brought over and introduced.

"Who is our last one Sir?" Samantha asked Meria.

"According to Lutheor, there is a high-cla.s.s courtesan who hangs around this part of town called 'Shelur the Mare of Tyr Rian'. The rumors said that she is considered the most beautiful person to be living here." Meria said.

"For what kind of job this time?" Clay asked, his breathy voice revealed fatigue from all of the walking and staying vigilant for threats against their and Meria's lives all day.

"I wont mince words on this one. This is a Talent Scout for non-other than Playboy Magazine." Meria confessed.

"As in, THE Playboy?" Crocker asked.

"The one with the women kind? s.e.xy, Beautiful and sometimes naked?" Samantha asked.

Meria nodded with an embarra.s.sed smile.

"Saving the best for last? I am gonna like this one." Diaz smiled with a juvenile pervert's grin much to Samantha's chagrin and Iris' bemusing confusion.

"What does this 'Shelur' look like?" Samantha asked.

"Oh that 'Shelur' I have seen her several times during my trips here. She may look a bit intimidating for a woman but she is nice for her kind… hey that's her over there I think." Iris added before she pointed to a figure standing idly by the corner with a hood on their head. The figures arms were thick of an almost masculine shape due to it being exposed to the mid-summer sunlight. But what betrayed any resemblance of normality was the skin tone. It was green like the summer leaves that could almost blend easily with 'Shelurs' skin.

"Miss… Shelur? Excuse me madame?" Meria approached cautiously.

"The usual rate for my 'presence' Five Hundred Ducats per hour." Shelur responded.

"Oh, I need a much than your mere 'presence' my lady. I demand something more… 'inimate'…" Meria said with tact.

"One thousand and Five Hundred Ducats for one hour and no more. And the room is on you." Shelur said briefly.

"Not that time of 'Intimacy' I… I just want to talk to you of a special… business opportunity that can pay much more than what you can get 'servicing' clients here." Meria said.

"Oh? Is that so? Tell me? What kind of services does the Sky People want from a Courtesan like me?" Shelur asked.

"Well, I was told from a reliable source that you madame are the most prolific Courtesan in all of Tyr Rian is that true?"

"Indeed I am. These humans would pay fortunes just to have me for one night. Do… I… Interest you?" Shelur said as she removed her hood revealing the rest of her face.

"Shelur is an Orc?" Samantha whispered to Iris.

"Yes, surprised?" Iris nodded.

"A bit, aren't I don't know Orcs supposed to be a bit… uglier?" Samantha commented.

Shelur was by all accounts quite attractive for a woman of such a robust build such as herself. Barely any physical flaws on her face and her brunette hair with several braids that fell down to her back gave her an exotic yet not too alien appeal.

"You do look interesting, but I digress. Any woman can braid their hair and pamper there face nicely. But I don't understand is one thing, why are you the highest paid courtesan in Tyr Rian?" Meria inquired, still not convinced why Lutheor spoke so highly of her.

"10 Ducats and I will show you." The Orc Courtesan said.

Meria quietly reached into his pocket and luckily, he exchanged some of his UFE Credits for Ducats before he left in case, he needed to rub some oil with potential candidates but he was surprised his foreign exchanged funds were relatively intact until now. Most of the people he had interviewed either said yes to his smile and brochures alone while others flatly refused for a basketful of reasons.

He placed the Ducats on Shelur's awaiting palms and gulped nervously.

With monetary motivation in hand, Shelur smiled and she began to lift the top of her dress which was a separate piece of clothing from her skirt. She moved up her top half way through revealing her abdomen, but it was all enough for every male within a 10-meter radius to gaze at her.

"Whoa, your ripped!" Diaz eyes widened.

"I can grate… cheese on that." Obediah's jaws dropped.

"I feel inadequate." Samantha humbly and bluntly confessed.

Shelur sported a magnificent six pack. Well maintained and was sweating slightly from the heat convection inside her clothes. But the excretion made it all the more desirable for men to zoom in on her.

"And I also have this…" Shelur said, lowering her s.h.i.+rt down and then lifting her skirt partly to reveal her leg.

Above her leather slippers was a perhaps the most well sculpted leg the Lieutenant had ever seen. It looked like that leg was built in an android factory with all of the asymmetrical cuts and linings the leg had. The Orc had a leg worthy of an Olympian Athlete that can make even Crocker who by far is the most physical imposing of Stryder group with his regular exercise regime to feel envious over.

"The Tyr Rian n.o.bles like women who can 'Keep up'." Shelur said.

"May I hold your leg or do I have to pay more? I want a closer look." Meria asked.

"Only if you don't touch the hip, that's an extra ten if you do." Shelur answered.

Meria probed Shelur's bare leg, feeling every inch of her well-defined muscles. The sight of the Uptown district's favorite socialite and escort baring her skin excited several of the men much to the snapping and slapping of their wives and mothers also present in the scene.

Meria after about a minute of his hands caressing Shelur's leg, slowly dropped it gently before he for the first time in this excursion, removed his gla.s.ses revealing his blue but glowing mechanical eyes.

"I know, a client their name is M-Power Arts Publis.h.i.+ng's, a group who owns two magazines, Playboy and Women's Health. They are looking for the next cover girl. And I believe I found her right in front of me." Meria said with a solemn confidence.

"A Magazine? You mean like a book?" Shelur asked.

"Yes, you will have your face and name on it and you will look beautiful in it I guarantee it." Meria appealed.

"But 'a drawing is an imperfect reflection of beauty' a poet once told to me." Shelur shot down.

"Oh, but I can 'draw' you so much better like… right here… right now." Meria said as he pulled out his smartphone and aimed at Shelur.

"Smile a little bit but not too much." He added.

Shelur seeing that she doesn't have much else to do at the moment but make the most out of this rather strange client's requests complied and gave a soft smile which made the men and even Samantha redden with swooning delight.

"Sending this over to a friend for a.s.sessment… and here… your 'Drawing'." Meria said as he turned his phone to the Orc.

She was amazed that the 'drawing' was completed almost instantly and then she was equally amazed again at the quality of her own self-image. It was like staring at a mirror to her. Her dress, her face and the tree behind her, their textures were captured and recreated perfectly on the canvas.

She had never seen such a beautiful thing be so gracefully reflected ever. It is said it was impossible to capture a maiden's smile for it was fleeting yet one must savor and value the memory but this drawing proved it otherwise.

The Orc could feel her own life reflected from that moment, when she was taken in by the local brothel and educated in the arts of seduction, poetry, s.e.x and music. Yet her own Orcish instincts got her restless and every morning she grab some buckets of water, or use crates filled with wine and workout which consequently was done in the middle of the brothel for all onlookers to see. It grabbed the attention of many of the n.o.bles, either in the category of having Military backgrounds or were just bulging with their own stuffed bellies to see her lift such weights as she often works out in nothing more than her undergarments. Maybe it was the sweat that dropped from her body like zesty market produce from all of that effort or the way her body was sculpted like the cla.s.sical statues of heroes in their glory but in the form of a feminine yet very strong faced woman. She can remember the hounding she received from those brothel patrons throwing money at her just to simply be allowed to privilege to touch her. She was once told from a young age that Orcs were a crude and often violent race, running loose in the Eastern Steppes as mere bandits and smelly herders. But in the Brothel, she was called 'the Mare' which in orc culture was considered the strongest and most prized steed a tribe can place their saddle on.

As she continued to admire herself, a ring noise came from her phone which caused her to drop the phone in fright.

"Oh no!" Meria screamed as he checked his phone. Luckily no cosmetic damaged but he did know that the ring that startled the Orc Amazon was a Message Ring. He clicked on his messenger application and examined his most recent mail.

"Oh yes!" Meria changed tune.

The mail was from M-Power Arts and it was only three words. But those three words meant the world to the recruiter.

Show us more.

"I am so sorry." Shelur grimaced

"It's okay in fact. Here, have some more Ducats but under one condition, can you follow me to New Albany? I want to take you to a Photo… I mean 'Drawing' Studio to best capture more of you. My clients want to get more 'drawings' of your beauty which will involve having take of your clothes to your undergarments BBb.u.t.tT!!!! If I ever ask or try to solicit you for s.e.x, I am powerless to defend myself when you inevitably beat me within an inch of my life." Meria said.

"Is this like what does clients who work in banks call 'a Collateral'?" Shelur asked.

"I am the Collateral, not you, me. If you don't want to agree to this you have every right to punch me and these minions here are witness to this. You all witness this?" Meria turned to Stryder group.

They all nodded. At least this flamboyant recruiter of what are potential essentially eye candy head hunters was not resorting to the vile 'Casting Couch'. Even Samantha would admit that even if Meria tried, he wouldn't last half a second with the Orc Woman.

"If all goes well with my clients, I can take you to places you didn't know you can dream of. So, what do you say Madame Shelur, the Mare of Tyr Rian?" The recruiter forwarded his hand.

Shelur couldn't resist the options. It was a unusual request but it was relatively low to medium risk of any physical harm to herself. She heard the trickled news about the mysterious Sky People who took down Devicco and have been helping out the people of Tyr Rian and she couldn't find any wrongdoing from them. And if they did try to make a sinister move on her, she's of enough prolific status amongst the social circles of the Princ.i.p.alities' Elites that they would notice her disappearance. Additionally, she had always aspired to do more higher paying and much more adventurous jobs outside of slathering her body in oil and have men caress her or just be an attractive Personal Trainer to the less physically abled (although she does admit she's proud of getting those slobs to go out and walk more which they appreciate she accompanies them). Now with an opportunity for much greater things with these Sky People, she decides that in this moment, she will take the risk.

"Yyyee----"

"HELP!" a loud cry disturbed the peaceful bustle of the n.o.ble District. It looked like it came from nowhere else than the UFE Emba.s.sy.

They could see civilians fleeing from the complex's direction which only confirmed the soldier's fears.

"d.a.m.nit, Crocker, Kayin and Iris stay there with Meria. The rest follow me." Samantha commanded.

Even though through a technical standpoint that the lieutenant was semi-abandoning her mission, Samantha knew that the Emba.s.sy was a priority defensive structure to be defended from any threats. Whatever was the commotion there must be something very serious.

"Show us! Lead us, take us to a new age! Filled with Chaos, Domination and l.u.s.t" a naked man wielding a knife heckled the shopkeepers and Emba.s.sy Staff yelled in a sententious inflection.

The irksome individual brought with him an entourage of half a dozen of so similarly composed men. Their bodies were scarred in symbols that seemed to glow with magic.

"Are they some sort of type of mage?" Samantha thought.

"Metal Demon! We waited so long for your return! I bled for you to take us back to glory!" the man heckled one of the Emba.s.sy staff.

"Demon? I am a Born-Again Christian who prays every mealtime and the last time I did any wrong was when I got mad when they phased out Cocoa Pebbles." The Emba.s.sy Staffer awkwardly answered before pus.h.i.+ng the heckler away in disgusted confusion.

"The prophecies are all true! The Return of Alboen is upon us to lead us to a new age! The towers, the magics don't deny it! I know who you are and we wish to serve you again!" the man continued to heckle the Emba.s.sy staff.

"I don't know what you are talking about but you need to leave!" the now annoyed staffer urged them but his words fell on their oblivious ears, deafened by years of relentless persecution and endless aspirations of a 'new age' in their twisted image.

"Samanth--Lieutenant! They are dangerous!" Iris voice yelled from the Lieutenant's back.

"Then maybe this will show you your true selves!" the leading heckler said, a slight menacing tone that sent a chill on Samantha's poignant empathy. The troublemaker's voice sounded dogmatic in the same vein as someone in a cult will be.

The heckler lunged himself towards the Gliesian Onlookers in the scene and forcefully pried from the hands of an unforeseen mother her small babe.

He cradled the baby in one hand and pulled out an ornate knife with many serrations and of an unconventional curve on the other. He raised the blade up to the sky to bask on the sunlight and tense his arm as he forcefully smashes it down aimed at the child.

"No!" Obediah screamed. He didn't have to think about what he did next. His muscles in a split second he reached into his revolver and snapped it out of his holster quickly drawing it before in the same split second pulling the c.o.c.k expelling the .44 magnum at the insane heckler just as he was about half way through the path in plunging the blade to the child.

The bullet struck the man at the neck between his head and the upper body decapitating him and slicing his throat. His body grew limp as he dropped the blade.

With a child's life on the line, Samantha sprinted to the shot man as he was in the middle of his fall and grabbed the baby from his cold hands before ducking down with motherly instincts in a fetal position while taking care not to accidentally smother the baby with her body in order to protect it. The knife's blade had fallen rather half heartedly on her left shoulder but Samantha's body armor caused it to bound harmlessly aside before falling to the grown, blade dry yet still looking menacingly thirsty for blood.

"s.h.i.+t." Diaz cursed as he pulled out Ruiner opened fire at the other five hecklers.

Shots fired and screams were made but the hecklers, in their fanaticism pulled out their knives and began to start slas.h.i.+ng and stabbing wildly at the natives.

"Protect them!" the Emba.s.sy man ordered.

Iris ran in to join Obediah and Diaz as her hands glowed with magic.

"I will hold them down and you take them out." Iris said.

Obed, re-c.o.c.king his revolver again fan fired his gun and was able to shoot down 2 of the other cultists. Meanwhile, with his Rapid Movement Boosters, Diaz dashed towards a cultist whose blade was within an inch of slas.h.i.+ng some civilians. He grabbed the cultist knife hand and pushed it away from harm before quickly knocking him to the ground. Another cultist tried to cast a Magical Spell but Iris casted a Counter Spell causing him to short out him before the Vampire Witch casted a magical dart that easily pierced the bare-chested man. It was a Paralysis spell causing the man to stiffly fall down to the ground harmlessly.

Now all was left is one lone cultist, visibly shaken yet still from a standpoint a visible threat due to his unsheathed knife.

"Put the weapon down!" Emba.s.sy Security began to surround him.
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"Alboen has returned! Beautiful and Gleaming!" the cultist said before he plunged a knife down on his belly and sliced it open before he began to chant in a dark and eldritch sounding tongue.

His bleeding body began to glow crimson and gold as the blood began to form around his scar-ridden body before crystalizing into a hard-metallic secondary skin that rose up from his gutted stomach to the rest of his torso.

"Blast him!" one of the Security guards ordered.

They opened fire their automatic weapons at the cultist. To the astonishment and sudden reflexive impa.s.ses, several of their bullets ricochet in random directions, hitting objects and narrowly missing people on the way. Yet a majority of their rounds managed to pierce through the Cultist making him collapse as the last points of his life were fired away.

He collapsed face first into the ground, his blood created a pool of the crimson body fluid on his torso as Emba.s.sy Security began to pull out some Crim Scene investigation yellow tape.

Samantha seeing that the coast was clear checked on the baby. It was tearing up but was not as loudly crying from earlier when it was in the hands of that mad man.

"It's okay… shush…" Samantha cooed.

"My child!" the mother rushed to the Lieutenant.

"Here you go." Samantha gave a stately smile as she lovingly pa.s.sed the baby to his rightful mother.

"Those Cultists call you demons. Pah! No demon would try to protect my child. May the G.o.ds bless you Sky Person." the woman politely bowed before she walked away now more careful to never let her child go anytime soon.

The Lieutenant turned back to her squad to check on them. Obediah was quietly reloading the chambers of his revolver and refused to speak much at that moment. Diaz in the other hand was visibly distraught of what he just witnessed. Quite something for a criminal but then again, the cold-blooded murder of Children was something that not even the most unscrupulous scoundrels would even stomach tolerating.

"Rose, may I have a word with you in the Emba.s.sy? I know those people." Iris stepped forward.

--------------------------------------------------

"So what you are saying Iris is that these people are some sort of 'Demon Wors.h.i.+pping' Cult?" the Holographic display of Colonel Polonsky spoke in video conference.

"Yes milord. They are known as the 'Inheritors of Alboen' a very secretive cult of rogue mages who perform blood rituals and enchanted metallurgy in a bid to restore the Demon Lord's old presence back before his fall. Very awful people, not even all the Ducats in the world would let me work with them when they came to me once for some help."

"What kind of help?" Polonsky asked.

"An ancient Altercation spell called 'Blood Armor'. Your men I believe saw it first-hand." Iris answered.

"Yeah, looks pretty tough. Managed to ricochet a bunch of the bullets but it went through." Diaz commented.

"The legends say that's how Alboen managed to have nigh unbeatable army that it took many of the Tribes of Men, the Dwarf Clans and the Elves to be able to stop him. It is said the armor can self-mend itself by splattering blood on it. It was such a horrible spell that Witch Hunters from the Churches have been hunting them down to extinction. In short, they want this spell to be forgotten forever."

"Ironic, coming from a Vampire to say all of that." Samantha added.

"I maybe one but there are just some spells that are just not worth studying. It drove many mad and caused untold amounts of chaos and destruction." Iris said.

"How many are these small fringes of these 'Inheritors' you speak off?" Polonsky changed the subject.

"I guess about maybe a dozen or more? They tend to live in remote villages or in caves and act as bandits for their Blood Experiments. All of which very messy and disgusting even for Vampires like me."

"Well, I don't think Major Holyfield would argue against seeking them down. The way I am hearing this, these people need to be stopped. Your services are valued Miss Cadohagan." Polonsky gave his grat.i.tude.

"And thank you for the kindness the United Federation of Earth has given me so far." Iris nodded back.

"Which reminds me Miss Cadohagan." Polonsky interjected.

Iris eyes widened on the sudden s.h.i.+ft in Polonsky's voice from inquisitorial to the tone of congratulatory genorisity. Something was up with the Colonel and it intrigued her.

"Your services for the UFE has been so far invaluable for the past few months and there have been talks about giving you something for all of you trouble. An offer that you will be a fool to refuse." Polonsky said.

"Go on." Iris pressed on.

"Me, Governor White and the rest of the UN Office of Outer s.p.a.ce Affairs and Colonial Affairs Office want to reward you with UFE Citizens.h.i.+p." Polonsky said.

The conference room filled with Stryder group and Emba.s.sy Staff began to erupt in gossiping whispers. The First Alien to be granted UFE Citizens.h.i.+p?

"You mean? Become one of you?" Iris asked.

"As in enjoy the things we enjoy. Access to Healthcare, the Right to Vote for your leaders in government, the Right of Property and to open a business. We can help you out get started on the latter two. We even will give you a very lofty position of being the Chief of Gliesian Relations.h.i.+ps due to your extensive knowledge of all the peoples of the planet."

"I… I… don't know… that seems quite a lot… to…" Iris began to reluctantly reconsider.

"Come on say yes. We can do so much more together." Samantha pressured.

"Imagine all the fun stuff and nice pad you be getting Vampy." Diaz added.

"I want to think this over!" Iris exclaimed much to the shock of everyone in the room. The Vampire Witch normally was a reserved speaking woman but her suddenly shouting caught everyone off guard.

The Vampire stormed off the conference room leaving the rest to sit their awkwardly.

"I think we should give her some s.p.a.ce. Maybe I can talk to her when I see her again." Kayin suggested.

"Good idea, I was about to go to the next subject now. It is about the Friends.h.i.+p Day event so everyone listen up!" Polonsky raised his voice commandingly which caused everyone to tense up.

"Within in about 42 hours Governor White will be conducting a speech which will be followed by a fair of shops and other fun UFE things that will get us to be able to woo the natives and get them on our side. Diplomatically speaking we are going to need friends to survive in this planet and the Wigs upstairs want to start in Tyr Rian and to just ride the wave from there. We need to show them that we come in peace so Emba.s.sy Staff, I want you to dress in your Sunday's best and be ready attend to the guests once the party starts."

The Emba.s.sy staffed quietly nodded with a fierce determination. They know their duties and they know them well.

"As for you Stryder Group however, I wish to not panic you right now but according to some Investigations by Inspector Reid, we have reasons to believe that there might be an attempt on Governor White's life."

Samantha's eyes widened. 'Who could even try to take him out?'

"We need to show them that although we come in peace. We are not defenseless. We have teeth." Interrupted Major Holyfield in the video call.

"Holyfield? You're not supposed to be here you know?" Polonsky protested.

"Yet I am the one in charge of the outer ring of security for the event SO I HAVE a say in this too." Holyfield argued.

"What kind of Security will the Event have?" Samantha asked.

"My Marines will be on the first- and second-layer rings as you can see in this chart. We will be scouting out the guests for anyone suspicious outside the entrance whilst our scanners will be hard at work on the second defensive ring. The Third Ring however is the most concerning for it has the most overstretched amount of Security Detail." Holyfield said with a grumble when he described the latter '3rd Ring of defense'.

"The reason is that we are trying not too intimidate the locals too much with our guns and men which is the rationale behind the light security. Might give the wrong impression that we are conqueror's and we don't want to be seen like that. As for you lieutenant, your team will be set up on a vantage point overlooking the Emba.s.sy grounds. Observe the crowds and be ready to react if our intel is right that there will be an attempt on the Governor's Life. Look for a.s.sa.s.sins, Shapes.h.i.+fters, Snipers and whatever." Polonsky said.

"Affirmative sir." Samantha nodded.

-----------------------------------------------

Mita the Crow arrived in Tyr Rian last night and quietly walked up to the Crow Safe House. She and her fellow Crow and some disgruntled Grey Order adventurers who were washed out due to the UFE soldiers taking their jobs. The plan was simple. Using her custom-made crossbow that can shoot exploding bolts. She had arranged an Alchemist from Alfel-Nora to provide her with one of the most lethal poisons known to Gliesia called Demonbane. It was a Purple Flower that according to legends it can kill even the strongest demons with just a slither of the substance either inhaled or injected into the bloodstream causing the victim to cough blood, lose his sense of movements, hemorrhaging and delirium. In practice it was a rare but stunningly effective poison that can kill any target quickly with only the best Clerics can only hope and pray to cure or the essence from a specific vine find only in Alfel-Nora to act as an Anti-toxin. And that's if first aid was immediate to stop the spreading of the poison from getting to all the vitals of the body. The plan was to aim her crossbow at the Governor and shoot him with an exploding bolt with a Demonbane Toxin delivery. Then under the cover of an explosion and some help from the local Grey Order Adventurers make their escape. With luck the Demon Invasion will be halted as their leader would be killed before they could attain the Princ.i.p.ality's control and bind them to their will.

She smiled as she looked over the window where she can see the heart of the Demon Operation in Tyr Rian taking place. The UFE Emba.s.sy.

"This will be done and out." She said confidently to herself as she sipped her gla.s.s of wine that she habitually drinks before the days of an important mission to calm her nerves. As she retires for bed. She still has another day of preparation and planning if this operation is to go smoothly. The fate of the Empire might rest in one crossbow bolt.