"Minutemen HQ, this is Captain Alejandro, Bravo Company, 5th Rangers. We have successfully breached the Aristocracy perimeter. They were building fortifications that oversaw the riverside and bridge. We discovered multiple ballistas, and my squads believed the enemy was setting up entrenchments; we thought they were for short-range artillery against the City.
Our mortar attacks were proven ineffective by the enemy amplifiers, which deployed an energy bubble around the outpost. We discovered that the barriers have a limited deployment time, but we could not exploit them.
It took three assaults against the enemy fortifications, requiring a short barrage from two Ivy Lancers, before we took the outpost. However, the enemy was able to make an organized retreat, which was covered by light artillery fire.
Ivy 4th Battalion has been advancing into the forest through the breach. According to radio chatter, they have contacted the enemy within the forest. We are holding position until the Engineers arrive to establish a FOB." – Captain Captain Alejandro, Bravo Company, 5th Rangers
March, 12th, 2068 (Military Calendar)
Forest of Induie, Verliance Aristocracy
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
Staring at the crackling campfire, Assiaya watched as the orange and red flames danced between each other. The campfire was small, like the ones she had grown used to in the many castles she served because of the lack of dry wood; however, she enjoyed any warmth compared to being outside in the rain. This was the first relaxing moment since they escaped.
Most of her and Ryder's clothing was laid on the ground next to the fire to dry off, and both ate enough to remain decent.
"Are you still glad that we left?"
"I do not know," Assiaya said. "I did not know that it would be this hard. I am freezing."
"This trip was also not what I had expected. Those Adventures were trying to kill us. I always thought they were there to help the common folk."
"We are not commonfolk," Assiaya said. "We were slaves, remember? We have never been part of the free folk."
"If this is freedom, then I do not know what slavery is. I do wonder when that Man is going to attack you. You should stay awake."
Assiaya glanced toward the Altaerrie man, who was busy repairing his strange armor, scattered around into smaller sections. With her limited time with him, everything about him and his equipment was very alien compared to what she was used to.
However, she had yet to feel unsafe or threatened by him, not unlike Ere-hian, who terrified her. Nore Kallem, her formal master. While the Vampire Lord never touched her as many expected a powerful man with his status would, that did not mean she didn't fear him. He was always cold in his mannerisms. However, Ryder, to this point, has been different so far. When he killed the Neko, the Altaerrie man gave her all the clothing and prioritized her thirst and hunger before his. If he were evil, he wouldn't have done that.
"I do not think he is going to rape me, so calm down," Assiaya said. She then noticed that man glancing over after she spoke as if he might understand what the voice was concerned about. They do not know anything about the man, being a soldier, and they are alone in the middle of nowhere, so she has reasons to fear. Before continuing the conversation, the dual-eye girl decided to keep her voice down to not anger the Altaerrie man. While she did believe the vice was wrong, it wouldn't be the first time someone attacked her, so she was not entirely sure. "He has given us most of his food and water. Some clothing has gotten us this far without harm and killed some Adventures for hunting us. Why would he do all this if he intends to harm us?"
As she spoke, she found how strange it was to be hunted by the people who were supposed to protect the common folk, or at least that was the story she had heard. The stories of protecting travelers through the Wild against goblins, monsters, and bandits. Help within the outskirts of towns, aiding in maintaining the peace from criminals. This made her wonder if those Militia, as Ryder called them, thought they were the criminals and were only doing their duty. However, she understood if they captured them, the two would only be brought back to Kallem.
"Unless he plans to sell us. He must know that we would bring a large profit."
Again, Assiaya disagreed with that thought as she reflected that he had returned to fight her former master and protected her since then. "If true, he could have abandoned us with the Adventurers."
"And when could he seek a reward from those who were trying to kill him?"
Assiaya wanted to respond but couldn't find a counter. While she tried to disagree with the voice, one thing was true: She was blindly trusting an alien man from another world.
"I see you enjoy talking to yourself."
"Oh no. You have been speaking out loud again."
Hearing the Man speak without looking at her, Assiaya blushed brightly and looked away, concerned that she had offended him. The dual-eyed girl forgot that she was speaking out loud from the stress of the ordeal. A habit when the girl was deep in conversation, and now she felt embarrassed.
"It is okay," Ryder said as he leaned back, taking a deep breath. "My wife always caught me talking to myself. Usually when I was alone in the garage or before a mission."
"What is a garage?"
"What is a garage?" Assiaya asked.
Ryder took a deep breath as he set the armor model on the ground. "I am sorry, kid, but I do not understand what you are saying." He then looked back at her directly in her eyes. "But I get it. I am a strange, scary man from another world that can kill people. You know nothing about me and have no reason to trust me, so I can see why you are worried."
"At least he knows why we do not trust him."
"You do not trust him," Assiaya replied. "I do."
The dual-eyed girl carefully watched the man Kallem called Ryder as he continued his work. Seeing that he was done, the Altaerrie sat by the fire close to her, which triggered her to push away slightly. The Man noticed and stopped, moving away to provide space.
Ryder looked away while he starched his ear. He seemed frustrated by the lack of communication but maintained his calm. This also frustrated her, as she could understand him but couldn't speak the language. She could talk to Latin and Vampires, being a Lat and raised within the royal halls of Vampires.
A sudden feeling of guilt and shame consumed her as she realized he had probably insulted her, seeing that he was respecting her space. It was that her body reacted by itself on impulse, making her realize that the inner voice's opinion of the Man was more potent than her own. Or it was all the warnings that Roath informed her maids over the years regarding males being physically more potent, so servants had to be smarter. Regardless, she wished she didn't flinch.
Seeing how the Man sat, Assiaya saw a tattoo on the upper of his shoulder. It looked like a coat of arms, as she had seen throughout Kallem castles. This tattoo had an armored helmet and a shield underneath with three upper-pointing arrows within the shield. She remembered him taking an interest in the binding mark on her hand and wondered if the coat of arms was similar.
Before Assiaya could inquire, she saw Ryder suddenly smirk as he stared at the dancing shadows on the wall emitted from the campfire. The strange Man held both hands together before glancing at her, winking his eye. "Have you ever heard of a dinosaur?"
Confused by the question, Assiaya tilted her head as she tried to imagine what a dinosaur was. She struggled because she had no context for animals on Altaerrie. To her surprise, her confusion only thrilled Ryder's impression.
"No kid should not know of dinosaurs," Ryder said. "I believe that was going to be the eleventh Commandment but didn't for reasons. We used them in the Battle of Trent against the Redcoats back in the day, and they are amazing."
"I think this man is on drugs."
"You... might be right...."
Assiaya did not understand anything the Man said, even though she could understand the words. However, she watched the Man's hands. He was moving them around when she noticed the shadows on the cave wall. It was no longer flames dancing but an eye and the head of a strange monster. It had a long nose, big eyes, and a long mouth. Ryder explained that the T-Rex animal was the size of a building before providing a roaring sound effect.
"Alright," Ryder said. "Let's do something cute."
The Man then displaced a large flapping bird. He even made silly noises that mimicked the animal, forcing her to release a giggle. When he switched to another dinosaur with a long neck, she finally understood what he was doing: using the shadows from the campfire to create theater to break the tension.
"Yup, he is crazy," Assiaya thought. "But I like it."
Ryder then switched to a small animal with long ears and another resembling a wolf. The Altaerrie man continued the show, displaying many other types of animals and making noises associated with them. She couldn't help but laugh at some of them.
After a while, Ryder stopped to rest his arms. "That was fun, wasn't it?"
"Yes, domine," Assiaya said.
"You said yes," Ryder replied. "I understood that. I had heard about the other world from a show before. I think it means someone who is in charge. Within a family? I should have paid attention more. Still, it's good to hear. The wife was always embarrassed when I did them in public. Strangely, she also got angry when I didn't do them. I will never understand that."
Assiaya saw the Man smile as he glanced toward the fire. The smile was not happy, but it was closer to a regretful smile to which one remembers old memories. "What...." She stopped as she tried to speak with words; he might understand but struggled.
"I want to talk to him," Assiaya thought.
"Maybe in time. Just learn the words. Ryder seems to be more talkative than Kallem."
Ryder looked over. "Do not worry, kid. I know you don't know what I am saying, but that is okay. I know you are scared, and you have the right to be. Being scared is a natural state of being human. What is important is not allowing that fear to consume you." He then looked back at the fire.
"Kid..., I never properly thanked you for saving me. I know the poison did not work as planned, but you tried, and that did give me the opening I needed to act. I know you were taking a deep leap of faith." Ryder then looked toward the girl again. "My wife would have loved you. What you did was very brave. It isn't easy to throw everything away and go up against the most influential person in your life, but you did. You should not be ashamed by it but be proud."
As the Man spoke, Assiaya held her legs tightly with her arms around them and carefully listened. She agreed that she took a leap of faith, hoping this Man would free her. It was the most extreme action she had ever taken, and she was shocked that it worked out in the end. Thank you for coming back for me and taking me this far.
"All I understood was, Gratias tibi," Ryder said.
Assiaya was surprised to hear the Man speak Latin, saying thank you.
Ryder saw Assiaya's shocked reaction and said, "Fraeya taught me a little Latin when dealing with the Militia. Don't worry, kid; you don't have to be thankful. You're a child; you never should have been subjected to that type of life. But..., sometimes, that is the hand we are dealt with."
"Oh, hell, I am on the run on a moon, lightyears away," Ryder commented, laughing at the act while staring at the fire. "I guess we all are dealt with a bad hand. When I was deployed in the Nile, a famous river network in my homeworld. I later learned that my wife was killed in a car accident. Some prick got drunk and impacted her vehicle. I never got to see her again."
"I enlisted in the Army to fight the bad guys. Like my dad and granddad, protecting others with all that honor and duty, the good stuff. While so many others wanted to focus on hatred, I wanted to do something I would be proud of. It is what my wife liked about me. I always thought I was making a difference, wanting to avoid being in the rear. I knew I was not making a global change, but I hoped to make a difference in the small things. Then my wife died while I was three thousand miles away in some godforsaken country that most cannot find on a map. It turned out I was a husband who cannot protect-."
Ryder stood and walked over to the girl. He was in front of her, so they stared at each other. She didn't move away this time but only looked at him confusedly. "I know you cannot understand me, but I want you to hear the tone in my voice and see my eyes. I will not let anything happen to you. We will go to Salva, even if I carry you all the way. To my people, alive. I promise on Tekali and my God that you will live through this."
Assiaya felt overwhelming emotion as she listened to him, feeling the deep love for his wife. She understood that she missed her family that Kallem murdered. While the dual-eye girl was confused about why he confessed to her now, she felt the intensity of what he was trying to say.
It seemed that Ryder was going to say something more, however. He stopped and sat down in his original spot, staring at the fire.
"I feel bad about his wife. It seems that suffering is normal in their world also."
"I see that too," Assiaya replied. "Do you think he means what he said?"
"Yes."
"Same," Assiaya said. "We can feel safe now. I trust him."
Assiaya stood up and walked toward the Ryder. Once close, she poked his shoulder, showing interest in his tattoo. When he was changing, she noticed it, reminding her that he had found her binding mark while providing her with extra clothing.
Ryder looked and smirked. "I should have realized you would have taken an interest in that. That is my family's crest. My family has been getting tattoos of it on our shoulders for generations. We do it to honor the legacy of our bloodline and hopefully build a stronger bond within our family."
She looked at the mark, not knowing what family was like in his world. Her old family had a similar concept, but it had been so many years she struggled to remember the design. Taking a quick look at her hand, she wondered if one day she could remove the bind and replace it with something similar.
It reminded her of why she wanted to leave Kallem's side. He was not a bad master, but he was better than most. But a part of her never wanted to be a slave but be free, have a family, and more. She knew she had a more prominent place in the world and wanted to explore it, not being trapped in a cage for life.
Hearing the man mumble something, she looked and blushed from embarrassment from gazing at his tattoos. She sat down and then noticed the shadows on the wall. This got her attention, and she pointed against the wall and said, "Shadow."
"Shdow?" Ryder said. "It's Shadow, but you are close. If you want to learn how to do shadow puppets, I will happily teach you."
She nodded her head, excited to learn How to play the game.
*****
Leaning against the large boulder in the cave, Captain Mathew Ryder was catching his breath. He had just finished vomiting around the corner to make sure that the girl couldn't see, but he felt strange in his stomach.
The Captain wondered if the biscuit or the meat bits had not settled well with him or if the alien juice had. While the nations of this world were more advanced than he first believed, he doubted they prioritized filtering their drinks based on the feudalistic nature of Alagore. But to his confusion, there was a bit of red liquid, like the potion, within the mess.
When Ryder regained his composure, he walked over to the pile of supplies. He began organizing them as they prepared to leave. Once organized, he turned and saw the girl wearing her now-dry clothing.
As he waited, he did one final check of his Integrated Tactical Lightweight Infantryman Armor Network, commonly known as Itlian. Everything was good, and it had a decent battery life left as long as he kept all non-essential programs off and kept the Suit in power-saving mode when not in combat. At current levels, he expected two days, maybe three if he was careful.
Surprisingly, the girl had renewed energy, signaling she was ready to leave. Ryder returned the wave and was surprised at how calm she was. He didn't think she would be holding up this well at her age if she was an American kid – as a matter of fact, the Captain knew most adults couldn't handle the pickle they were in. He rationalized that she came from a survival society versus a coddling society.
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"Make sure you have everything," Ryder said. "We have a lot of rough terrain to cover."
The girl rushed over and poked his shoulder armor plating. He looked over and saw her pointing to the outside.
Seeing no one there, Ryder looked back with confusion. He then noticed a distressed look and realized she needed to use the bathroom.
"Not outside," Ryder said. "It could attract unwelcome guesses." He pointed toward the boulder she could use as cover, and the girl rushed off.
The Captain then headed to the fireplace. It was smoking, and small crackles were emitted from the wood. He stomped on it to eliminate lingering flames and exited the cave while waiting.
While he told the girl he would guarantee to protect her, he had no idea how. The Comanche Warrior wondered if going to a village could help; however, memories of the Kitsune tribe quickly appeared. He had yet to learn how far away from Salva he was since he was taken by air. The Captain could only make an educated guess of how far away he was from Salva, being a few days, a week max, from his people.
If they had kept a low profile, reaching their lines could have been possible, especially since the Aristocracy military was not searching for him for whatever reason. Ryder wondered if that was because he didn't kill Kallem when that gray kitsune knocked him out, if more profound politics were playing out, or if he was better at his job than he thought, which he preferred to believe at the moment.
"Yeah," Ryder mumbled before chuckling. "I am definitely a super Saiyan."
Suddenly, the Captain heard the girl scream. In pure reaction, the Comanche Warrior grabbed his sidearm and turned around to where the girl should be. To his shock, he saw her on the ground, crawling backward and staring into the darkness toward the cave entrance. Not seeing a target, he fired a single shot around.
While the shadows blocked his view, he could see something was there as the bullet reflected off something. He fires two more shots to give the girl cover as she crawls toward him.
The unknown attack suddenly leaped toward Ryder, forcing him to duck and jump to the other side of the cave.
When the Captain landed, he regained his footing and turned toward the unknown hostile. He saw a saw seven-foot humanoid construct standing there with one foot on the campfire. The design was organic, unlike the American IRiSS industrial style or the Aristocracy blocky design; it had smooth curves. The armor was a blue-green tint with a black base. The two arms had large blades that suddenly glowed bright, and a mouth plate mask was placed where the mouth should be. Its eyes glowed naval blue once it stared directly at the Captain, emitting a familiar screech.
Ryder did not need his HUD to know what he was facing. It was Akuma. The construct that whipped out every Minutemen Combat Fire Team during training simulation before first contact with Alagore. Feeling the gravity of the situation, the only emotion he could feel was being terrified as sweat flowed down his neck. While he saw major dents from his .45 caliber sidearm, it did not slow down the alien construct. "Fuck." He then lowered his silver VISOR and prepared for battle.
Hearing a noise to his left, he glanced over and saw the girl still on the ground, looking at the Akuma with fear. He was also in shock, terrified that the construct nearly killed her. He looked back at the death machine and felt fear ripple throughout his body. He mumbled the Minutemen motto to boost his morale. He aimed his sidearm at the Akuma, knowing there was a high chance they would die.
"The first to wake, the first to fight, the first to tell the enemy good night. We are the Minutemen ready to fight." He loudly said to boost his confidence.
Ryder aimed his M45A2 and fired four shots into the Akuma, which got the death machine's attention. While he saw indents from the impacts on the construct body, it had little effect. The Akuma then leaped toward the Captain, absorbing the gunshots without flinching. Seeing the steaming blue blade coming for him, he ducked and moved left as the blue energy blade passed him.
The Comanche captain started rushing away from the deadly construct but felt a hard impact on his right shoulder, making him fall forward and drop his sidearm. He flew onto the ground eight feet away but could roll to his side and get back on his feet. That was when he noticed his VISOR had informed him of the extreme temperature and that the integrity of the liquid armor plate was in danger.
The Akuma saw the pistol on the ground and thrust its blade into it, destroying the weapon in an instant. This surprised and scared Ryder, making him realize that the construct could prioritize threats and tactics. Unlike the Aristocracy Samca constructs or the American IRiSS, the construct did not need a human operative to give it a command.
Unable to handle the flashing warning over his HUD, Ryder prepared himself against the threat. The construct was moving far faster than his fight with Kallen, which freaked him out. If not for the fact that he was in his battle suit, he could have already been dead. This also meant that he would need to be three steps ahead of the Akuma with this reaction speed.
After destroying the pistol, the Akuma turned to the Captain, letting out a screech before charging.
"It is going to be like that, huh?" Ryder thought as he grabbed his Tomahawk but had no other weapon. For a moment, he felt he should take a drink from the healing potion in advance; however, based on how this construct fights, it would capitalize on him before he would take the cork off.
When the Akuma drew closer, he ducked again and, this time, swung his melee weapon up like a sucker punch, slamming the blade into the neck joints. Then, the Akuma stepped back, allowing Ryder to get around the organic robotic soldier. The construct was not expecting that attack and was readjusting.
Knowing he couldn't strike at its smooth organic armor plates, he focused on the open joint areas for maximum effect. The .45 ACP was a powerful cartridge that generally could take down a hostile with a single shot. However, this construct shrugged it off as if it were nothing. The Tomahawk was designed for something other than this type of combat meant for organic hostiles, so he was worried that his blade would dull quickly if he aimed poorly.
Ryder charged forward, wanting to maintain the initiative as much as possible. Still, he was forced to stop as the Akuma spirited toward him in response.
He stopped and moved to the right slightly, allowing the Akuma blue sword to pass him as predicted. He could feel the heat emitting from the blade. This gave him the opening he needed at one of the inner joints, and he swung his melee weapon at the exposed area between the chest and arm.
As the Tomahawk weapon impacted the Akuma's joint section, Ryder thought he finally found a weakness in defeating this construct. That was until the other arm of the construct rammed into his side. The resulting impact made him suddenly fly through the cave and ram the wall again before falling to the ground.
He was shocked by the sheer force of the strike. Errors and red warning labels appear all over his HUD from the attack. He could even feel the burning sensation on the side of his armor as the blue heat burned it deep. While the blade didn't slice through, he could feel his skin burning from the intense heat.
While he could go head-to-head against Kallem for a reasonable amount of time before raw strength came into play, the Captain realized that this was another level he was unprepared for. The Akuma's reaction time to each of his attacks was at such speeds and strikes with sheer force that he could not compete. And if his Itlian fails, which seemed likely, the fight would be over.
Ryder looked up and quickly dodged the Akuma blade, which crashed deep into the cave wall. He swung his Tomahawk against the leg joint, hoping to cause enough damage to lower the construction speed. After the attack, the Akuma rammed its arm into the Captain, knocking him back.
The Akuma stared at the Captain and let out a loud screech; however, it struggled to pull its arm out of the wall. It looked back to its other arm and quickly jabbed its free blade into the wall to lose it.
The humanoid construct was stuck, so Ryder saw the opportunity for the girl to escape. He turned to the girl and yelled, "Run!" Confused, the girl looked at him, so he pointed toward the exit, yelling at her again.
The girl sprinted, nearly tripping over herself from fear, but she could exit the cave. The Akuma saw her and moved to intercept the girl after freeing its arm. It was as if the construct didn't want anyone to leave this cave alive.
Seeing the Akuma attack, Ryder attacked from behind and got behind the construct. The construct stopped and started shaking its body violently, trying to swing the Comanche warrior off. was flung over. Seeing his opportunity, he used the momentum of the Akuma and jumped off, impacting the wall. He dropped onto his feet as planned and burst forward with his Tomahawk at the ready, firming, holding the grip.
Ryder got up close and personal and swung his Tomahawk into the Akuma's head. The blade impacted the Akuma eye, breaking whatever material it was made from. The impact also left a nasty scar, like scraps on a sports car, across its right face.
Before the Captain could follow up his attack, the Akuma – without looking – struck him with its free blade right into the chest with sheer force. This forced him to fly across the cave, impacting the boulder while dropping the Tomahawk.
The Comanche commander slid onto the ground as he caught his breath, feeling like a train had impacted him. His VISOR had multiple cracks, and the bottom right part of the glass was missing. What was left of his HUD was flashing red and yellow with warning messages that he had never seen before, which he understood was not a good sign.
His chest felt like it was on fire as he heard the sizzling sound of the blade heat. He could feel the burning sensation coming through what was left of his plating, burning the skin. Feeling the pain, he needed to rip apart his battlesuit to stop the burning but knew he had no time.
Seeing the Akuma turn to face him, the Captain looked back and noticed the boulder. He recalled how the Akuma's arm had gotten stuck into the wall before and wondered if he could replicate that moment. All he needed was to get the construct stick for a few seconds to escape.
Ryder stood as he held his chest, forcing himself to tolerate the burning and muscle pain. The Akuma was in front of him within seconds with its reactive speed. The glowing blue arm sword thrust toward the Captain. Seeing the opportunity, he dodged the blade as he ducked left; however, because of how quickly the Akuma moved, the blade cut through the right side of his helmet.
Still, Ryder was able to move around constructively. Once clear, he was forced to remove his helmet as it caught fire from the electronics built into the hardware.
As Ryder removed his helmet, he turned toward the Akuma and saw it struggling to break free from the boulder. The advanced robot was flinging its free arm at him wildly in an attempt to kill the Captain. He found the sight strange. While the Akuma was a robotic soldier, it acted closer to a mad animal. Still, it displaced some intelligence when it destroyed his sidearm.
Not wanting to waste time, Ryder turned around and headed for the exit. His body screamed in pain and begged him to stop, but he forced himself to continue. He hoped his Itlian exoskeleton would boost his speed; however, the battlesuit seemed destroyed—acting more like a heavy body weight than a well-refined body suit for long-endurance traveling.
It did not take long for the Captain to reach the exit. To his horror, he saw five individuals in the same uniforms that had been hunting them for the past three days. One was a Vampire, holding the dual-eye girl in her clothing. They all looked thrilled to have won their prize.
It did not take them long to see him coming, and they prepared to capture him. They all looked excited that he was coming. A J'avais started yelling in a language he couldn't understand. Still, he could assume they were bragging about getting their full bounty between him and the girl. The others prepared their weapons, some only with melee weapons while others had energy staffs.
That was when Ryder heard that same loud screech right behind him as if an alien was yelling inches from his ear.
As the five prepared to capture him, the Comanche Captain saw the glowing excitement in their eyes evaporate within seconds as they noticed the Akuma exiting the cave's shadows. Many started to panic, fearing that they were about to die.
Knowing they were stunned by the Akuma, Ryder took advantage of the moment and rammed full force into the Vampire, knocking the girl free. He caught her and, having her firmly in his arms, he spirited toward the forest without stopping, knowing this was their one chance at freedom.
Behind him, he could hear the desperate screams of the five hostiles whom the Akuma were slaughtered. Weapons fire and the clash of steel were heard, but the horrific screams overshadowed them. After his short fight, he had a good idea of what was happening: the construct savagely murdering them all without mercy. However, they were buying them enough time to find a hiding spot, and he wouldn't shed a tear for their sacrifice.
"Ibi per arborem!"
Ryder heard the girl speak and noticed her pointing to the strange, glowing, white-green-looking tree from before. Seeing no reason to disagree as his body was about to collapse from exhaustion, he ran over. After setting her down, Ryder dropped to the ground and leaned against the tree to catch his breath. The moment he rested, every part of his body went numb, unable to move or stand.
Feeling his chest burning from the Akuma blade, he quickly disconnected the chest module from his Itlian. The girl saw what he was doing and copied it onto the other side, speeding up the process. Once the chest was disconnected, he ripped the chest plate off and felt the air impact his chest, cooling the burns.
Finally able to catch a breath, Ryder leaned into the tree. Looking up, the same glowing bug from before started floating around them. There had to be dozens of them, Spirits bugs.
Looking toward the girl, Ryder made sure that she was okay. While she was terrified, he was thrilled that the Akuma or those pricks did not harm her. He was about to speak before hearing a scream nearby. Out of pure reaction, the Captain grabbed her and held her closer as he attempted to lower their profile.
Peaking around the tree, Ryder saw the people who were chasing them.
Two vampires were rushing through the tall grass. The training Vampire suddenly had a blade pierce through his chest before being cut in half by the Akuma. The warrior-construct then sped past the corpses and toward the last survivor. This forced the other Vampire to stop and hold his ground, turning toward the death machine. However, the Construct was already on the attack.
The Vampire blocked the Akuma blade. Being physically more robust than the average human, the dark purple-skinned humanoid could momentarily hold back the construct's raw strength. However, as the Vampire militiamen were being pushed back, his blade was melting from the intense heat of the blue steaming blade.
The two opponents backed away, and the Vampire advanced first, bringing his sword against the construct. The blade impacted the shoulder plating, leaving a dent, however half of the blade shattered from the loss of integrity.
The Akuma didn't flinch from the attack and swung its blade across the Vampire armor, burning through the plating. The Vampire fell backward from the Akuma's strength, impacting the ground. A hand struggled to rise as the Vampire attempted to crawl away. Still, the Akuma wasted no time japing its blade into its prey's back.
"Completely brutal these Akuma's are," Ryder thought.
That was when the Captain noticed the Akuma scanning the area before walking around the forest, heading toward their direction. This made him wonder if the construct was looking for them.
Seeing that the warrior-construct was getting closer, he was in no condition for round two and had no weapon. He started to stand up to flee, but to his surprise, the girl pushed him back down, warning him to remain silent by placing her hand over his mouth. The fact that a twelve-year-old girl just outpowered him terrified him, showing that if they were discovered, it was over.
"Remain still."
Looking confused, Ryder was about to protest before he heard a voice in his head.
Confused by a sudden voice in his head, the captain looked around to see if someone else was nearby. Seeing no one besides the two, he wondered if he was losing it.
The Comanche Captain felt the girl holding him tightly but then felt a strange fuzzy-warm feeling around his body. Hearing a quiet buzzing sound, dozens of yellow glowing spirit bugs floated around the tree in unison.
That was when they heard the metallic screech from the Akuma. Seeing it marching through the forest, the organic robotic soldier was close to their position. Seeing no other option, Ryder held the girl against his chest tightly to protect her.
Ryder watched the Akuma slowly walking around, searching for its next target. When it finally came toward their direction, the warrior-construct looked directly at the two with an evident view. He could feel her shaking as she looked back at the construct, and he couldn't blame her. If he were not so exhausted, he too would be shaking, knowing that the fight was over and they would be soon killed by it.
To his shock, the Akuma looked away and continued its search, heading in a different direction. Somehow, the organic robotic soldier couldn't see them, but that didn't mean they weren't a threat.
The yellow glowing Spirit bugs that hovered around the tree started flocking toward the machine of death. This annoyed the Akuma as the machine swung its blades to brush aside the Spirits. This only caused more glowing bugs to leave the soul tree and swarm the construct. The sight was baffling, reminding Ryder of a bear attacking a bee's nest. While powerful, it was no match against a swarm of insects. Soon enough, the Akuma ignored the bugs and returned to the cave.
Ryder could take a moment to catch his breath, seeing it was safe. "Okay, I think we are safe now," he said.
While he understood that the girl couldn't understand him, she would have still reacted somehow. Only then did he realize she was not holding him tightly like before, and all his focus turned toward the organic robotic soldier.
Ryder looked down to check on the girl in a panic, ignoring his aching muscles. Lifting her off his chest, he noticed her nose was bleeding, and her eyes were open. Fearing that she somehow died, the Captain checked her pulse and noticed everyone was alright. He quickly placed his hand over her mouth to see if she was breathing, which she was, so he put his figure on the girl's neck, checking her pulse. Feeling that the rhythm was expected, he determined that she was not dead.
That was when he investigated her blue and gold eyes. They did not look lifeless as he feared. She blinked; however, she was unconscious for some reason. The only conclusion he could come up with was that she was overwhelmed by the fear of the situation. While he had no idea why she was unresponsive, he was thrilled that she was not dead.
Holding the girl close as he allowed his body to relax, he said, "I am definitely not in Kansas."
*****
Bright yellow lights hung above, dancing, flowing back and forth.
As the dozen spirits danced, a strange vibrating ripple motion came from each of the bugs. To her, the vibrations looked like ripples in a pond after a rock impacted the surface,
Feeling a strong pull, no, an urge to reach the spirits forced her to lift her right arm. To her shock, her arm wasn't physical but was a mystery outline, glowing green and teal with the same vibrating ripple effect coming from the pawn of her hands.
When she got close to touching the spirit, she slowly floated backward as she was pulled away, getting deeper into the dark void that surrounded them all.
Watching the spirits disappear, she turned toward the direction and saw what looked like a man with a black-and-white glowing outline slowly navigating through the dark forest. Within his arms, a blue-and-gold outline of a young girl sound asleep.
Feeling a strong pull, she fell from the sky and descended toward the girl.
As she drew closer to the girl in the man's arms, the girl's golden-blue arm rose, and the two hands connected, creating a blinding bright light.
The darkness slowly faded, and a bright light consumed Assiaya's eyes as she awakened.
As her vision focused, she saw tree branches standing above her. The slow wind flowing against the pine leaves made them slightly move.
The slave girl closed her eyes from the massive headache but heard a crackling sound next to her. She opened her eyes and saw a red-flame campfire thriving, unlike the one in the cave.
Hearing a cough, she glanced up and noticed Ryder leaning against a tree.
"I see you feeling better," Ryder asked, staring at the flames. His voice sounded broken and exhausted.
That wasn't the only thing Assiaya noticed. The Altaerrie man looked horrible. His armor was gone, and what was left of his clothing was torn apart. There were blood stains and a large cut across his chest, which she could tell was causing him pain.
Feeling fear and concern, Assiaya got onto her knees and pointed to his chest.
Ryder glanced down and chuckled, which caused him to cough. "It is okay; I am not going to die today."
Seeing how unconcerned the man was, she glanced around the area and noticed they were not in the same spot. Now that she has thought about it, she cannot remember anything from the soul tree. She recalled hearing voices, a sudden glow, and then darkness.
"It is gone," Ryder said. "I do not understand what happened, but that Akuma walked away. You passed out, so I carried you here. That was about an hour ago."
Seeing they were safe, she crawled to Ryder's side and continued to sit on her knees, staring at his wound with concern. The realization that he almost sacrificed himself to protect her when he could have quickly abandoned her and saved himself. Watching the fight against the Akuma and those Adventures who nearly captured her showed the duel-eyed girl that the Altaerrie Captain wasn't lying. He said he would protect her, and he shall.
Feeling her emotions start to take over, she began crying. She tackled him, which itself made him grow from the bruises. She didn't care; she only wanted to hug him tightly, repeatedly trying to thank him but unable to control herself.
She then felt him place his hand on her back, gently patting her. "There, there. It is okay. We are safe now."
After a couple of minutes, Assiaya stopped crying. She leaned back and wiped the tears from her cheeks, feeling embarrassed but joyful.
She then placed her hand on her chest. "Assiaya."
Ryder looked at her confused, slowly saying, "Asssoia?"
The girl shook her head and pointed to herself, repeating her name. The man made another repeat attempt but struggled, frustrating her.
The slave girl shook her head and then closed her eyes in frustration. She took a long, deep breath and stared at him. "Aaaassiaya."
Ryder sat there in deep thought before saying, "Ash-I-ah? Asssiya?"
"That is my name," Assiaya said with joy.
"It seems that I finally got it right," Ryder said. "Assiaya, it is nice to meet you."
The girl nodded before looking around. Noticing a spirit floating west, she pointed in that general direction. "When are we leaving?"
Ryder looked down the path and tried to stand but fell back down. Taking a deep breath, he laughed and then said, "Soon. I need a few more minutes to breathe."
Feeling concerned, she pointed to the cut on his chest again.
"Don't worry," Ryder said. "I took a healing potion. I do feel somewhat better, but my chest still stings."
From Roath's training, Assiaya understood why. Healing potions allow the body to heal quicker; they are not an all-in-one wonder. Severe wounds need attritional attention and do not cure infections and burns; other creams and potions are needed.
The Altaerrie Captain didn't know the limitations, and she couldn't communicate that knowledge to him.
That was when Ryder handed her a pouch of water. "I pulled this off one of the corpses. It's enough to last a day, so drink. I would have tried savaging the other bodies by the cave, but it was too risky."
Assiaya didn't hesitate to grab the pouch and start drinking it. The water tasted warm but stale, like the bag had been old, but she didn't care.
"Good," Ryder said before slowly pulling himself onto his feet. He then handed her a leather bag full of supplies. "I no longer have my battlesuit, so I cannot carry you. And I am sorry, but you must also carry some of the supplies."
The slave girl took the bag from him, thrilled to be of some use. She then nodded.
"That is the spirit," Ryder said. "Once we gain some distance, I will tell you a story about my great, great grandfather back in Organ, 84, when he encountered giant robots under a volcano."