"Actual, this is Phantom, Minutemen Recon Team," - Staff Sergeant Gabriel

"Phantom, this is Actual. We copy," - Minutemen Actual

"We have spotted Verliance Aristocracy forces leaving the town called Iriskia and heading south. We are unable to confirm the exact number but believe it is a battalion strength." - Staff Sergeant Gabriel

"We copy. Are they widening their containment or assaulting?" - Minutemen Actual

"We believe they are preparing to assault our forces within the Hiplose Forest based on the equipment they are carrying. Limited walkers and crawlers," - Staff Sergeant Gabriel

"Roger. Actual believes they are swinging down to cut off our Combat Fire Teams operating behind hostile lines and lock us down at Salva," - Minutemen Actual

"Roger. Orders?"

"Standbye.... Orders directly from the Colonel. Readjust the position east of Iriskia to spot additional reinforcement. If possible, maintain communications with Comanche, Ghost, Razorfist, and Redcoat. 5th Rangers are mobilizing to launch a counterattack against the Battalion to widen our perimeter." - Minutemen Actual

March, 11th, 2068 (Military Calendar)

Fortress city of Forlace, Verliance Aristocracy

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Reflecting on the day's transgressions, Kallem sat in his oversized leather chair, staring at his officer's openness. The room was more significant than his chambers. It was intentionally designed to prevent loitering within one chamber and production within a chamber if it was worth it. The walls were filled with books, grimoires, codexes, scrolls, and terminals. Decorations from his family line stretched back centuries.

There was a time he had a sizable antikythera mechanism sitting at the center of the room. The device held models of the Goddess Tekali and her children that orbit around her. It was a live animatronic that had the models creep. While most used this device to track where the moons were for religious and calendar reasons, Kallem always enjoyed its mechanics. It is not the device itself but the representation of how the otherworldly bodies orbit their host world precisely and in an orderly fashion. He found it distracting enough to help with deep thinking. More importantly, having fond memories of spending time with his children as they played and learned from such a mechanism.

He recalled a time when his son Ere-hian broke the device. The boy's sister, Ornnallia, covered the damage by getting some motuias engineers to repair it. He had always known about the incident, as Roath never kept secrets from him. Still, he decided not to do anything as he believed sibling bonding was more critical.

The spot was laid bare as part of his allegiance to The Unity and their state religion, one of the many sacrifices that must be surrendered for what they call a better-changing world. The Katra does not allow room for other beliefs outside their own, so the Priestess forces him to destroy the animatronic. He had always found their fear of the Tekali Goddess strange, as strict loyalty isn't one way. Other regional, tribal-like beliefs follow their path, and their Goddess allows it. However, it was one of many hard choices he had to make on a long list over the years.

While Kallem wished he had his device for comfort, he forced himself to address the matter. The Vampire Lord slowly turned his chair to face his Head Maid, Roath, his most successful and trusting motuia. He had made her stand there for more than fifteen minutes before addressing her. This was designed to let her know how upset he was while not losing his composer. "Do I need to ask?"

"No, my Lord," Roath said. "I poisoned you during the fight with the Altaerrie man. It was the only option I had."

"Is that the only option?" Kallem asked calmly, even though he was baffled by the statement.

"That is correct, my Lord," Roath nervously said.

He could see the fear within her. The Kitsune typically was well reserved, rarely showing a lack of discipline. While she was maintaining her composure, he could see how terrified she was, not from any drastic movements but the subtle details. Standing fur, the slight shaking of the arm. But more importantly, the eyes. While aiming at his general direction and yet not meeting his gaze.

"And what was this option? Are you sympathetic toward the Altaerrie? Is it because of the decisions I have had to make since the Unity arrived? Is it because you no longer enjoy the benefits of our contract? I know you are not stupid and must have a good reason."

"Not at all, my Lord. I wish to continue to serve you for as long as I live. I understand all the sacrifices you had to make to keep the Aristocracy."

The truth was, Kallem was struggling with what to do with his Head Maid. She was his favorite and longest-serving motuia. Long ago, he discovered her in the slums, serving a lower lord to pay off the debt that her failure of a father gathered. During one of his old campaigns, the Vampire Lord sheltered this lord and noticed the young kitsune girl around Assiaya's age.

While the lesser Lord was a fellow Vampire, Kallem's only remembrance of him was that the Lord was a swine. He enjoyed using his slim power against those underneath him and treated slaves and motuia alike, all to fuel the ego of what little influence he could accumulate. From the moment the Vampire Lord entered the home, Roath was abused. At first, he thought it was because of punishments. While a motuai gains protection, this is under the understanding that the person under the motuia contract fulfills their obligations.

Most obey the contract of a motuia, mainly because most masters understood the value of having skilled labor under their service compared to an unskilled and uneducated slave; there are always those few who seek to abuse regardless of merit or justification. It was considered uncultured for one who abuses their motuia, irrespective of whether they were a servant, engineer, mage, or any other skilled labor, as it is considered a negative reflection on one's character. While illegal by the Guilds, there are always those who choose to look the other way.

However, Kallem quickly learned that Roath was not abused because of a lack of skill. The young motuia was an outstanding servant. He was impressed by Roath's raw serving ability and forced the pig lord to sell the Kitsune's contract, regardless of the 'short' protests.

To his surprise, the Kitsune quickly learned to be a loyal servant and climbed the ladder when she became a motuia. Taking advantage of his services, she quickly gained a proper education and other skill sets to compete with the other motuias, climbing the statues given to senior royal servants. While she was not the fastest, her perfection and determination were what impressed him. And up until now, that was a decision that he had never regretted as all internal manners of managing staff had barely been a thought for a decade.

When her contract ended, he accepted the fate that he would have had to give up a great assist; however, she wished to stay, stating that being free, she had nothing—serving only the lower cast of nobles and taverns. Being under his wing, she had never imagined gaining such a statue. She had a purpose and means to advance, such as being the Head Maid of one of the most potent Houses on Alagore.

Now, all that is at risk. A betrayal like this would prevent Roath from being a motuia for anyone else, and the law dedicated him to be imprisoned for life or, worse, demoted back to slavery. He would do that regularly; however, these were not standard times.

"Then why did you aid them? Have I ever harmed you or your maids? Have I ever tossed any of them away like a common brothel girl?"

"You have been great, my Lord. None of that was the issue; I did not wish you harm. If I did, I could have killed you and not put you to sleep."

Kallem leaned into his chair; his eyes locked onto the old silver-gray Kitsune as if she were a target. "And that is what confuses me. You betrayed your Master and yet moved to protect me from death? You happened to uncover a plot by Erada, risking yourself? This is very unusual coming from you. Speak clearly of your motives."

Roath took a fearful breath. She was clearly uncomfortable, this being the first time she was in his crosshairs and having to defend her actions. Even as a child, she never showed fear or vulnerability.

She closed her eyes and calmed herself down before regaining her composure. Her fur, however, was sticking out from the fear that trembled her body. When the Kitsune opened her eyes, she said, "I intended to free Assiaya from this place. I had no hand with her plan to poison you, but when I learned what was happening and that the Altaerrie man was freed, I saw it as an opportunity to free her from these walls. The Man was only a tool because he was trying to protect her. Assiaya would never have made it from here by herself and needed a warrior to protect her. If she had remained here, My Lord, Erada would have continued to use her as a weapon to punish and humiliate you. Why, I do not know."

Very few things got under Kallem's skin, including being betrayed. The issue was that the situation was not as black and white as he would prefer. He could not overlook a part of her betrayal; however, saving his life and uncovering a conspiracy against his rule blurred the lines.

Based on what his Head Maid said, she was only acting on an opportunity, and Assiaya acted alone. This was an easy excuse to blame a small girl who was no longer here to defend her actions; however, Roath had never lied to him before. That left one crucial question: Why did Assiaya act like this?

"Assuming you are not lying, you accused my son of touching her. Better yet, you accused him of feasting off her. All under the direction of the Priestess. I hope you came back your claim."

"I witnessed the assault, my Lord," Roath said. "The girl had two bits on her shoulder. That was why she was late when you first arrived here. Then again, during your meeting with the Guild leaders, she was late because your son attempted again, which I stopped."

"And why did not you inform me at the time?" Kallem asked.

Roath bowed. "I apologize. I did not fully understand the situation until it was too late. Assiaya claimed Priestess-."

Kallem placed his hand on his chin and instructed, "Do not grant that woman the decency of calling her by her title."

"Yes, my Lord," Roath said. "Assiaya claimed that Erada manipulated your son to undermine your rule, showing you were weak and blind. I could not prove it and sought to investigate; however, events unfolded before I could act. I believed at first that your son was only lashing out as he was coming to age and seeking his own story, but I did not know he was plotting against you."

The Lord of Verliance found the story nonsensical; however, he was forced to admit that much of what she said was true. During the meeting with the Guilds, he watched as Erada commented on Assiaya's weakened shoulder. At the time, he was confused about why the former Priestess paid attention to his slave, let alone focusing on that particular point. Now that he had context, he realized that Erada was humiliating and disrespecting him in front of him, and he had no idea.

The more Kallem reflected on what Roath said, the more everything came together. The fact that Erada could use his son to outflank him within his own home frustrated the Vampire Lord. Now, he understood why Assiaya did what she did. He made her his personal slave to prevent anyone from asking questions and to remove her from the equation. The tactic worked for six years; however, he couldn't imagine it would be his weakness.

Because Erada was using his son to attack his slave to divide the House of Verliance right when the country entered a war, he could see how Assiaya felt she had no choice but to escape. Staying here became a life-and-death situation. To his humor, he realized that he also underestimated the girl's strength to live. Challenging him and saving the Altaerrie man to seek freedom was brave that few could muster. Out of this entire mess, that was something he could respect.

For now, Kallem had to deal with one major problem. The only reason all these events unfolded was that his son decided to betray him. Roath was correct; he was a young boy entering manhood, but he had no idea Ere-hian had devolved to the point he was willing to challenge his father and be manipulated by Erada. And he had allowed it within his own house.

"Roath." Kallem could tell she was nervous. The Vampire Lord had decided to spare her life and position so as not to attract unwanted attention. However, he would find a more discreet method of punishment later. Seeing her standing there with fear in her eyes, he allowed her to ponder her fate for a bit longer and informed the kitsune of his decision later. While she technically betrayed him, he couldn't ignore that everything she had done was in this House's best interests. "Why was my son easily turned? And let me warn you, you have been honest to this point, so I expect a truthful answer."

"Yes, my Lord," Roath said. She leaned up and faced her Master, taking a deep breath. "The boy has a lot of anger, and you have been distracted with the Altaerrie and Unity. He wishes to join you in war and seek revenge against Hispana. I am not questioning your wisdom, only stating what he is thinking. Only that your son was angry at you for not allowing him to become a Man, I believe this allowed Erada to manipulate him to take out the male aggression on Assiaya because you treat a Lat, our enemy, with-."

"I understand where this is going," Kallem said, waving his hand to signal her to be silent.

The Vampire Lord sat at his desk dumbstruck. He buried his face into his hand and the reality of what had happened. The feeling of shame as a father, failing his son. He did not need Roath to explain further as he put the puzzle pieces together. The world has gone crazy, and he had been busy trying to keep the Aristocracy safe for so long during these trying times and yet failed to see the underlying issues among his kids.

Shame slowly replaced rage as he understood that Assiaya felt like she had to flee for her safety. He did not want the Unity of Cordinlane to have the dual-eye girl, as he had invested too much in preventing that reality from happening—to the point he was willing to surrender elements of his reputation to nobility gossip. Only now did he wonder if the relationship with his family was worth it.

However, the Vampire Lord knew he couldn't change what had been done and must move on. He regained his composure and stared at his Head Maid. "I want my son."

"I will fetch him, my Lord," Roath said. "But first, if you do not mind, my Lord, why did you allow them to escape?"

"I do not want Unity to know about the girl," Kallem said. "And I do not want them to have her. Now, you are the Head Maid of my House. You, above all, understand the meaning of keeping the truth close to your chest. While this was not the path I desired, it was the path Tekali presented. We shall see if Ryder can do what I failed to do. Now, go get my son."

Watching the old Kitsune woman quickly leave the room, Kallem decided to spare her and maintain her position. He couldn't blame her for his failure as a father or forget that she prevented Ryder from murdering him when he was knocked out. Being one of three to know the truth about what happened in the royal armory, he wouldn't want an alternative story to spread. More importantly, his ability to control the other maids and the flow of information would be vital.

It would take Roath about fifteen minutes to bring his son to these chambers. For this encounter, he stood and walked over to where his favorite device had once been.

Hearing footsteps at the door, Kallem continued looking away. He heard Roath entering, clearly dragging as he complained about disrespect. While he found his son embarrassing, regardless of how he was brought to him, the fact that he had yet to attack the Head Maid showed his son was still within the body.

Ere-hian was slightly shorter than the woman but had a more square body than the Kitsune, looking like a twig in comparison. Soon enough, as the boy's body changed, he would grow past the kitsune size. However, the woman had been within the family since his birth, a rare feat for a vampire's lifespan. If it were any other time, the Vampire Lord would have found the scene comedic, bringing back fawn memories of the kids' early childhood—but not this day.

"How dare you treat me like a child!" Ere-hian stated. He turned to his towering father, standing at the center of the room. "Father!"

"I have brought your son, my Lord," Roath said. "I will take my leave."

"Stay." Hearing the Vampire lord's cold but thick tone, the Head Maid stepped backward to gain as much distance as possible. Standing against the wall, she was like a statue, showing her decades of experience as a professional servant.

"Son," Kallem said. "Approach."

Ere-hian approached where his father was standing with confusion in his eyes. It was rare for the boy to see Roath this fearful of her Master, which struck fear into the son. "Father?"

Kallem partly turned toward his son, allowing his red eyes to focus on the boy, which struck fear within his son. It was clear to Ere-hian understood the situation's severity, so he slowly approached.

"Son. Do you see these banners?"

"Yes, father. Why are we talking about them?"

"Are you implying that you do not know their value?"

The son was hesitant to respond, staring at his father. Noticing that his father had yet to continue the conversation, Ere-hian said, "I do. They are the banner of all the Houses that have ruled over the Aristocracy. All the ones that had our bloodline."

"That is correct," Kallem said. "The House of Verliance. While many names have ruled the Aristocracy, Verliance has maintained its lineage for centuries, only being removed from power twice. Each time, though, we took our proper place on the throne."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ere-hian asked.

Kallem continued to stare at his family banner. It was Emerald Green with an aero-blue triangle at the center and a purple rose over it. While the triangle and symbol had been the Aristocracy, the green had been the color of Verliance since the birth of the House.

"I know I have not been the best father in recent years," Kallem said, staring at the banner. "The task at hand has taken a great toll on my attention. You must understand, my son, that a day will come when you take my seat on the throne, and you will have to bear much."

"I..., father," Ere-hian Said but with a concerned tone. "Why are you telling me this?"

Kallem glanced toward his son and then looked away, staring back at his family banner. The memories from a distant day when father and son stood side by side. Protecting the banner from a Kiriyaks expansion. That was how our family inherited the throne the third time, and since then, here we stand.

"Do you understand the difference between a motuia and a ruler?"

"Motuia are people who serve us; they take care of us?"

Kallen shook his head, not thrilled by the simple response. "That is the basic answer. A motuia is someone who either surrenders their freedom or was taken away for a period for a task, big or small. There are many reasons for one to surrender their freedom. For example, one is desperate for work, paying off debt, or wishing to elevate oneself above one's station. The list goes on. The key difference is that they surrender personnel autonomy while we as rulers maintain it ourselves."

"Of course," Ere-hian said. "What is your point?"

"Do you also know the other difference?" Kallem turned to his son and saw the confused look. "Responsibility. For a motuia, their duty is the task at hand, bearing no responsibility except what is given to them, unlike us, who bear all authority. The consequences of actions with no authority cannot be laid upon their feet but the ones who have the authority, us. The manner in which things happen is a reflection of the ones who rule. You can judge a lot by a House's character and how it treats its indentured servants, my son. It is a reflection of who they are internally."

Kallem glanced toward his son, seeing the boy's mother's pink diamond-like eyes widen. His son finally understood that his father knew the truth of what he had done. Ere-hian looked away with fear.

Looking back to the empty space that once held his antikythera mechanism, Kallem said, "As rulers, you are expected to make impossible decisions that will affect millions. You will see choices you are forced to make ripple to the point where your grandchildren suffer. The balance between what you want versus what is best for your House and People will define your legacy. Many of those decisions will haunt your dreams until the day you die and, if you are unfortunate, lead you to your own destruction."

There was a momentary silence between the two vampires. They stared at the rich history of their family house legacy that decorated the office.

It was Ere-hian who broke the silence again. "Is the reason you are bringing this up because of what I did to the dual-eyes girl?"

"That is correct."

Ere-hian took a deep breath and looked at his father with rage in his pink eyes. "I will not apologize, Father. The Katra says any action against those we refuse to convert is the enemy. All who refuse are below common slaves and must be punished or erased, or we will be stuck in permanent darkness. Her kind is the enemy, and you keeping her around as a pet is an insult to every Vampire after what they have done!"

Out of anger, Kallem grabbed and lifted his son into the air, pressing the boy against a bookshelf. He briefly got through to his son, but it seemed he failed. "You foolish boy! You live in my shadow for protection while judging my actions with blinders. You know nothing of the world and what must be done to survive."

Ere-hian Looked at his father with a renewed fear. Seeing the fear, Kallem dropped his son and regained his posture.

Once freed, Ere-hian pointed toward his father with bloodthirsty eyes. "You speak about the importance of family, and yet you protect the people who murdered Mother! They murdered her, and you do not care! You do not even want revenge!"

Hearing his son mention his mother, Kallem stared into his son's eyes, seeing his wife's reflection.

Flames surrounded the surrounding area and the field, littered with corpses: a Noble Elf king, a Lat Imperial Legate, Kiriyaks Anax, an Orc Chieftain, and a dozen more leaders across Aldrida.

Below his feet, he saw a female vampire lying dead in his arms. His left arm held the woman's head while the other placed on the lightest purple skin of his fallen wife. Staring at the lifeless jewel-like pink eyes. The sensation of wanting to scream was tamed as he noticed a shadowy figure in front of him. A tall, rounded horns over a thin but muscular body standing over the corpses. But the one thing he could see was the yellow eyes staring directly at the Vampire Lord without fear.

Hearing his son's voice, the Vampire Lord regained focus and saw that he was in his office. His son stood there looking confused and concerned about his father's lack of response. Recalling the subject, he grabbed his son's hand at the memory of his murdered wife but then allowed the anger to pass for the sake of his son.

"I will not disdain your mother's legacy by sacrificing the Aristocracy and her blood to the ashes of history," Kallem said. "I seek vengeance against those who had committed this injustice. However, I will never place that above you and your sister's safety. A time will come, and I will be ready, but I cannot do what needs to be done when you sabotage my investments."

"But, she was just a female slave," Ere-hian said.

"As I said," Kallem replied. "When you take the throne, you must make decisions and investments carefully. Sometimes they will not be popular or understandable, but they must be done for the greater meaning."

"Now that I cannot trust you to act like a Man without my absence, I will take you to the front as you have always wished. If you want to achieve your story, this will be your opportunity."

Seeing his son glow with joy, he could only wonder if his son was ready for the horrors of war and not following the footsteps of his mother.

March, 11th, 2068 (Military Calendar)

Forest of Rostham, Verliance Aristocracy

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Natilite watched the pale-skinned Airman, Sergeant Charlie Higgins, tinker with the communication device known as a dioliet that they found on a Toriffa body.

They moved the small dial to channel through the different frequencies, hoping to stumble on a conversation for information on the Captain, which proved more difficult than predicted. Still, Natilite was surprised how quickly the airman understood the device's fundamental principles – being alien to him but had to endure a quick learning curve.

Fraeya Holiadon was next to the Airman, assisting in translating the common language of these lands. While utilizing a translation amulet, its effects did not translate well through artificial communication devices, meaning the Elf Girl had to translate. The Valkyrie did not understand the technical reasons why this occurred with artificial devices; something related to the voice moving between multiple devices made it inconsistent, some engineering sages informed her.

Not wanting to distract the two, Natilite walked away. She saw many members of Comanche conducting their business. Eger Wallace and Bruno Barrios, known as the Twins, were on guard duty. The two had been nearly inseparable, typically finishing each other's actions or completing in some manner. At first impression, they could be seen as immature; however, she could see deeper. Their actions had always been to maintain morale within the unit and muscle.

Benjamin Ford was looking at a laptop and a recently deployed UAV reconning possible routes. He was considered the new guy amongst the team's male members, which she found strange as Fraeya and herself. She always wondered if everyone was scared to enforce their rituals on the new female team members. Either way, the Templar had found Ford as naive but insightful. Out of everyone on the team, he seemed to have the best understanding of how Alagore works – thanks to his interest in a genre called 'fantasy' in his world.

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The team medic, Marcos Gonzales, walked to each member of Comanche, providing medical checkups and nutritional pills to keep everyone healthy and resistant in this alien environment. To her, it seemed he was overcompensating that the team lost their Captain under his watch, which was not his fault. The Man with the robotic arm, Kurt Forest, moved from soldier to soldier, ensuring everyone's tasks were completed. There was tension from losing their leader, and Forest was dealing with each teammate's grievances.

Overhearing an argument by one of the vehicles. It was Rommell King and Gregory Barrett. Their disagreement was not an outburst, maintaining their tone and remaining professional. She decided to walk over to help meditate on the disagreement and wondered if she could provide guidance they might need. Typically, she preferred to stay in the rear and wait to provide wisdom.

"Please excuse me," Natilite said. "You two have been debating like this for ten minutes. Maybe I could help resolve the issue."

"I guess we were being louder than we thought," King said. "Maybe a respectable opinion could help."

While Gregory Barrett, the most senior Noncommission Officer, the Templar could see the decades of experience within his mannerisms. Being built compared to the Twins, she could tell that the Man was well-refined and disciplined.

"We were debating whether to continue the rescue mission or not," King said.

Natilite was shocked to hear that, especially from Rommel King's mouth. In the short time she had been with Commanche, she had noticed the close friendship between the dark brown-skinned Man and the Captain. The Warrant Officer had taken command of the unit, but she could see that he did not enjoy it as he made it his mission to reach Ryder.

They were preparing to abandon the mission when they had yet to reach the Fortress City. "What do you mean? We cannot give up now. We will not get another chance to get this far."

"Hey," Barrett said. "That is not the point. We have been out here for days and are no closer to finding our CO. The enemy has checkpoints on all the routes over the mountains. I want to find him; however, we must consider our safety now."

"You were the one saying that we should abandon him?" Natilite asked.

Barrett turned to his acting CO. "Tell her."

Rommel King took a deep breath. "I got off the radio with one of our Phantom Teams. The route we took to get here was completely cut off. The Verliance Aristocracy has regrouped and reinforced its position. We would need a battalion to break through back to Salva, defeating the mission's purpose."

"If we don't find a new route, then the mission is over," Barrett said, "Regardless of our personal feelings."

"We cannot abandon your leader," Natilite said. "Sir King, you cannot agree to this?"

"We are not leaving him behind," King said. "Not until we exhaust every option. And Natiite, no titles except my rank, please."

"Sorry."

"Look," Barrett said. "As acting XO, it is my responsibility to disagree. I am sorry, Natilite. I know you feel guilty about him being taken, but we cannot blindly put three CFTs at risk with no leads. We don't even know if he is alive anymore. Our mission was to intercept, which is clear we missed that window."

The Templar struggled to respond. She knew Barrett was correct, and if Ryder had been with Kallem, there was a high chance that the Captain would have been tortured or dead by now. "Maybe I can continue alone. I can move easier by myself."

"No," King said. "We need you to help maintain our alliance with Salva. The Captain wouldn't want us to split apart like that."

"So," Barrett said. "Do we agree to start heading back?"

Rommel King remained silent as he thought about the options. The Man then activated his radio and said, "Higgins, I hope you two have something by now."

"I think so, sir," Higgins said.

"Come here immediately," King said before turning to Barrett and Natilite. "We will hear what they have to say and decide then."

"Agreed," Barrett said.

She wanted to respond and push her case that she should go alone. Before she spoke, something caught her eye in the trees. There was only a little movement of the branches. Seeing nothing, she decided that it had to be wind.

Seeing Charlie Higgins and Fraeya Holiadon approached, she refocused on the conversation. While the airman reframed any excitement, Fraeya's eyes were glowing with joy, showing they had discovered something.

"What do you have to report?" King asked.

"We were able to pick up some chatter from an enemy camp east from here," Higgins said. "A major operation has begun to search for two prisoners that escaped from Forlace."

"Two prisoners?" Barrett asked. Are we sure that is ours?"

"If so, it makes sense," King said. "If Matt escaped, he would need someone who knows the layout. He could have recruited anyone."

"Like my father?" Fraeya said, with her ears perking up.

"Possibly," King said. "But don't convince yourself that is the case, Fraeya. We don't even know if it's Ryder."

"Even if it is, it does not matter," Barrett said. "By the time we get over there, ten thousand bad guys would have captured them."

"Except," Higgins said. "I don't think that is them."

Frayea Holiadon then pointed west of Forlace on the map over the vehicle hood, which followed the Yuplenia mountains range on the southern end. "We also heard there was a manhunt down here, heading west. It is coming from the Adventure Guilds."

"Adventurer Guilds?" King asked.

"I take it you don't have Guilds in your world," Natilite said. "Guilds are common on Alagore. The governments pay these Adventurers to keep the villages and smaller towns safe from barbarians, monsters, criminals, and other types so they don't have to. They also make sure the local rulers enforce the laws. Many are good, and some are corrupt, but they typically are loyal to whoever the local ruler is—in this case, Kallem.

"A privatized law enforcement," King said. "Why does this matter?"

"Because the Adventures down there said these two have been leaving a trail of dead bodies. One is a small Lat girl while the other is a Lat male in strange armor."

"That has to be him," Natilite said. "Who else would be in strange armor?"

As the Valkyrie spoke, she glanced over at the same tree again. The branches barely moved; however, this time, it concerned her enough. She had learned long ago that nothing is a pattern in nature.

"What is it, Wings?" Barrett asked.

"I think someone is spying on us," Natilite said. "Keep looking normal; I will handle it. Can you contact the Twins and tell them to assault the tree on my mark?"

Barret contacted the Twins and informed them what to do while Higgins continued his report. Everyone knew Fraeya had no poker face, so Rommel King had the elf girl stare in the opposite direction so the intruder couldn't read her nerves.

Natilite walked away from the conversation. Looking forward, she carefully glanced toward the tree. She then saw the Twins in position and gave them the signal. Barrios fired his rifle toward the branches, intently not trying to kill the suspected spy but hoping to lure them into a trap.

As the Templar hoped, a humanoid creature burst out of the tree branches and leaped toward the next tree. Seeing her target, the Valkyrie flexed her wings and guided through the air in an intercept trajectory. In seconds, she broke into the branches.

When she landed, she grabbed a branch to stabilize herself. To the Templar's surprise, she saw a Farian woman with a terrified expression. She had light tan skin with warm caramel-like fur. Her left ear and lower abdomen were scarred, and her left hand was missing a pinky. The beastly clothing armor was a mix of animal skin, fur, and metal, some designs inspired by her travels. It was decorated in the style of her former tribe with feathers, horns, war paint, and tribal markings.

Natilite jumped forward to scare the Farian down, which the women did. Jumping out of the tree and hovering, the Valkyrie watched Wallace appear behind the vehicle and grab the woman.

The bodybuilder's muscles, Edger Wallace held onto the Farian tightly, arm locking her. She struggled violently as she attempted to break free. Arms flailing everywhere, and her foot clawed, scraping against his armor. All of it was in vain, as the Comanche soldier was too strong and quickly subdued the rodent.

"I got the spy!" Wallace said.

"I am no spy!" the Farian said while squirming.

Natilite hovered down as she pulled her sword and pointed toward the woman's neck, staring directly at the rodent's eyes with a killer glare. "If you are no spy, then what are you?"

"I..." the Farian said, looking toward Wallace with a hateful glare. "Let me go!"

"If you break free from his grip, I will strike you down," Natilie said. "Now, who are you?"

The Farian stared at the Valkyrie with hateful eyes. Natilite understood that fear. Being a flying race, her kind had a history of striking against the rodent races. Everyone species is above one and fears another; it all depends on where one sits on the latter.

"Fine, Valkyrie," the Farian said as she calmed herself. "I am no spy for religious nuts."

"Bullshit," Barrios said. "We already seen the Verliance Aristocracy utilize Farians."

"How dare you!" The Farian said. "I do not work for any of those bastards. The Unity swept through my clan's lands and exterminated us for not bending to their will. I would never work for those murderous fanatics."

Natilite noticed the other members of Comanche gathering around, especially King and Barrett. "That does not explain why you were spying on us."

"..., I was just curious," the Farian said before struggling again and turning to Wallace. "Lighten up, big guy. You're crushing me."

"Wallace," King said. "Let her go. But if you try escaping, my Winged friend will kill you."

The muscle-bulker bulker, bulky Sergeant dropped the Farian woman onto the ground. She landed on her rear and looked around. She slowly stood and noticed everyone was staring at her. "Yes, I was watching you, not spying, but not because I work for anyone. I was watching you because you look like Lats, but everything about you looks abnormal. I found it strange that there were heavily armored Lats this deep behind enemy lines."

"We are on a mission," Natilite said as she lowered her sword.

"I know," the Farian said. "Looking for your chief or something?"

Natilite felt uncomfortable that this Farian knew more of their purpose than she would have liked. Seeing Rommel King's reaction, he had the same reaction. However, the damage was done. She said, "That is correct. We are looking for our comrade."

"I do not understand why," the Farian said. "Should you not all be in Hispana losing a war? It is too late to reclaim these lands, so why are you here?"

"We are not Lats," King said. "And we do not willingly leave our people behind."

The Farian woman carefully studied everyone, the equipment they had, and their mannerisms. "I see that you are not from Hispana. That is clear. I am Ar'lya from the Erilettia Plains."

"The Erilettia Plains?" Fraeya said. That is far from here. It's almost on the other side of the Aristocracy."

"That is correct," Ar'lya said. "The Unity drove my people to extinction after we refused their religion. Apparently, all who oppose them are intolerant evil inferiors that must be swept aside for a brighter future."

"Removing the human element from progress," Higgins said.

"Where have I seen that before," Gonzales added.

"My name is Natilite." She then sheaths her sword. "Templar of the Temple of Hevera. These are my comrades, Comanche from Altaerrie, the world where the Lats came from.

"Altaerrie?" the Farian said. "I have never heard of your kind before, and I travel a lot."

"Can I tell the story?" Fraeya asked with glee.

"Sure," King said. "The cliff notes, though."

Fraeya clapped joyfully and said, "We discovered a Bridge to another world from the time of Orilla and brought the Altaerrie here to turn the tide of the war."

"We are currently rallying around the City-State of Salva," Natilite said. "All who consider loyal to Tekali can join us in the Unity crusade."

"Hmm...," Ar'lya said. She continued to study the Altaerrie with much skepticism, but she could tell they weren't like any people she'd seen before. "Hmm, I do admit you are alien-looking. Your stuff, too, but that is pretty difficult to believe. You people are really not from here?"

"No," King stated. His mannerisms showed that he was not thrilled by the current situation with the Farian.

Gregory Barrett interrupted the conversation and told the Warrant Officer, "If we are going to do things, we need to go now."

"To go after your boss?" Ar'lya said. "I would not recommend going through the mountain passages. The Verliance Aristocracy has them locked down because of you people."

Natilite let out a frustrated breath. "There is no other way past the mountains."

"I know a path," Ar'lya said. "There is an orilla tunnel that goes under the mountain, bypassing all the enemy defenses. I can show you for a price."

"What do you want?" Natilite asked.

"I will help you find a path through the mountains," Ar'lya said. "In exchange, I want a free trip to Salva and a hut to live in. I am a natural pathfinder, I know these lands, I know how to speak with the natives here, and if your kind really are not from here you will need someone to help you connect with the people here."

"And why do you think we need your services?" Natilite asked.

"Because you Altaerrie folk got your leader taken," Ar'lya said in a confident tone. "And you are running around in circles here lost. If you want to survive here, you need people who understand the land. You do not know our ways, but I do. I have worked with many of the villagers and towns here, so I am in good standing with many of them. I see many business opportunities to show you around."

Natilite stared at the Farian woman. She was forced to agree with Ar'lya's points. While the Templar was a warrior and fought many battles against the Unity and their allies, she knew little of the Nevali. Someone who understood the layout could help Americans reach nearby villages better.

Regardless of Ar'lya's future ambitions, all Natilite could think about was rescuing the Captain. Time was vital, and right now, they are wasting it. Attacking the enemy forces to get past the mountains would probably alert the Verliance Aristocracy of their location, making their mission pointless.

While she wanted to accept the deal, the Templar understood it was not her call. Being more of an advisor than a leader, she walked over to Rommel King for his input.

"What do you think?" King asked. "Do you think she is a spy?"

"No," Natilite said. "I think she is what she claims to be, but that does not mean we should casually trust her."

"Do you not trust Farians?" King asked.

"I do, actually," Natilite replied. "Once you gain the loyalty of a Farian, they are loyal for life. However, they are also known as a rodent species for a reason. They like to scavenge, which I believe was what she was doing."

"The problem is, we cannot let her go," King said. "We also cannot kill her, and we are running out of options. I say we agree to the offer. If she can help us find the Captain, we can trust that it'll be in her favor, too."

Natilite turned to the Farian Woman. The rodent spoke about her adventurers from these lands, showing off her spear and how she killed an Aristocracy guard to get it.

"Ar'lya," Natilite said. "If you take us to this tunnel, we accept your offer."

March, 12th, 2068 (Military Calendar)

Forest of Induie, Verliance Aristocracy

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Rushing past the trees, pushing away any branches that got in Captain Ryder's way, he headed toward the riverbed uphead that was uphead.

The tree before him suddenly caught fire from an energy-staff weapon. At the same time, other bolts and flechettes passed him from the hostiles chasing him.

He stopped by a tree and turned, firing his M45A2 at the closest target, an Orc holding a circiletum. The .45 round dented the armor, while the other bullet penetrated the shoulder plating. The Orc fell to one knee from the wound, and another enemy warrior appeared.

It was a Vampire. Shorter than Kallem and not a physical warrior type; however, that was not what concerned Ryder. The air around the mage formed into a ball around his arm before the concentrated air blasted toward the Captain, creating a vortex.

"Oh, shit," Ryder said. The vortex impacted the Captain and flew him several yards, impacting a tree before the muddy ground. A yellow warning flashed appeared on his HUD, stating that the battlesuit endured a significant impact. "No kidding...."

Noting that he was by the rover bed, the Comanche Captain stood and jumped down as additional energy bolts flew past him.

When Ryder hit the ground on his side, he rolled onto his back. As he quickly got up, a bright light flashed above him. His eyes were slightly blinded but quickly recovered as his VISOR blocked most of the light. This led the Captain to conclude that the spell was blinding, which meant that the mage specialized in luxmancy—light magic. With the vortex spell, he also could conclude that the mage fields in aeromancy—air magic.

Knowing the Orc would approach soon, Ryder hugged the muddy riverbed wall. By the time he did, the Orc stood above him with the weapon pointed toward the muddy sand, expecting to catch the American lying there blinded.

The false assumption from the Orc gave Ryder the seconds he needed to react. The Comanche soldier brought his tomahawk with the hostile foot, having the curved edge hook on the boot. He pulled with his natural and mechanical might, causing the Orc to slip and fall as a flechette was fired but missed the American from the sudden collapse.

The Orc fell into the riverbed along Ryder's side. The Captain aimed his sidearm and killed the Orc. The humanoid's two yellow lower-lip fangs reached up to grab his arm and kill the hostile enemy.

Finally able to catch a breath, Ryder wanted to search for the body. Before he could grab the circiletum, an energy bolt impacted next to him, forcing him to seek cover. Once hugging the riverbed wall again, he aimed his M45A2 down the ledge and saw a J'avais holding a staff weapon.

Ryder retaliated with three shots, with one of the .45 caliber bullets impacting the hostile armor but not killing him.

Before the Captain could flee, he noticed water spraying at him from the river. When he looked, he noticed a small water twister forming. At first, the Comanche soldier was shocked to see that the mage was utilizing hydromancy magic, which would mean the Vampire knew three fields of magic. However, he remembered the aeromancy spell and wondered if the enemy mage was using air to turn the water into a weapon.

As the twister approached, Ryder held his breath and grabbed a large root from the riverbed wall. His body started pulling toward the river as the twister started consuming his body. The water flung around his body, some slashing on his cheek as it was the only exposed area.

The Orc's body lifted from the ground, and Ryder grabbed it, letting go of the root. The two rode the twister and were flung across the riverbed a few yards. When the Orc corpse landed next to the river, Ryder rolled to the left and fired his sidearm at the mage; however, the Vampire was already covered. The other J'avais hostile fired his elecprobus staff weapon.

The Captain started pushing himself back with the intent to escape; however, he stopped, noticing the Orc corpse being dragged into the river. Before he could investigate, one of the energy bolts impacted where the corpse was.

The water suddenly burst as additional water impacted Ryder. Once his vision was clear, he saw a long, slimy lizard-like creature crawl out of the river and face the Vampire mage and J'avais elecprobus, seemly angry that the J'avais fired at it while feasting.

The two men seemed scared by the creature's sight. The river lizard opened its mouth, and purple glowed, firing acid spray toward the two hostiles. A strong gust of wind redirected the creature's acid spell while the J'avais frankly fired his elecprobus.

Not wanting to stay and watch, Ryder got off the ground and ran down the riverbed as the three fought behind him, finally thrilled that he had a break.

It had been about a day since Ryder and the dual-eye girl escaped Forlace. They had made it west while on foot; at least, he liked telling himself he was progressing. The girl pointed toward the mountain range they needed to follow, which was the general direction he decided to follow. However, getting proper directions took more work as neither could communicate verbally and relied on hand signals.

Not having learned their star's location, like what their version of the North Star would be, he was forced to rely on the sun to gain his bearings. While he learned that the sun sets slightly northwest, the daytime lasts two days on this moon because of the orbital rotation around Tekali. His military training helped him bridge that barrier, but it proved inefficient.

Realizing that they were being chased by looked like militiamen or their version of law enforcement, Ryder was forced to find a brush for the slave girl to hide while he attempted to lure these hostiles off their trail. So far, with little luck.

The Comanche found an opening out of the riverbed and rushed into the forest. With the Orc dead, he did not know the other two's status; that only left a Neko that he had seen before. For some reason, the feline did not participate in the fight, which made him conclude that the beast was searching for the girl.

Seeing the area where he had left the slave girl, Ryder saw her stand from the bushes. He pointed toward her, signaling her to remain hidden, as he knew the feline would follow his trail.

The girl concealed herself in the bushes. While he wanted to grab her and run, he knew they wouldn't make it far with these unknown hostiles this close on his trail. With the rainfall hampering progress, Captain Mathew Ryder crouched behind a sizeable, deformed tree as he sought cover. The tree branched off into three directions like a wild vine. Hearing the footsteps of the one hunting them, he carefully peered around, seeing a Neko.

The Neko pawed the ground, carefully feeling Ryder's boots' impressions. The Captain hoped the grass would help cover his tracks, but this scout seemed too skilled to fall for that trick.

To Ryder's confusion, the armor differed from what he had seen before. While metal like the Aristocracy military used, this was brown and looked more rugged, as if it was a secondhand uniform. In addition, they were not amateurs; they were not military, making him wonder if there was something in between. After passing by a nearby town, he had seen others like this chasing after them. This made him conclude that the ones chasing him and Assiaya were not military. They were far less organized – being his saving grace. These people acted closer to bounty hunters or militia, but he couldn't know.

Hoping for the Neko to leave so Ryder could take Assiaya and flee the area, he noticed the orange fur. At the same time, the strip male started crawling in that direction. "Shit."

Carefully watching Neko approach, Ryder noticed the feline slowly heading to the bushes near him. While that meant the feline was not coming toward him, what concerned him was that the beast humanoid picked up on the girl's trail. Before they were spotted and needed to hide, he placed her into the bushes to hide while he prepared to fight if needed.

Ryder considered using his sidearm as he had the perfect shot. However, he knew a dozen strange-looking militias or local security guards were in the area. Open fire would alert them of their location and encircle them.

"Don't run." As the Neko reached the bushes, the girl burst out and started running away with a terrified look. The Neko smirked and chased her as if he was chasing a toy.

The Captain couldn't understand what the feline was saying, but it sounded like he was trying to intimate the girl. The girl ran toward him, but Ryder emerged before she could hide to reach the tree, catching the Neko entirely by surprise. He swung his tomahawk in the hostile and rammed the blade into the feline's neck, instantly killing the beast humanoid.

Confirming that the Neko was dead, he turned to the girl and got onto his one knee, parting her side to make sure that she was not bleeding. He could see that she was scared, staring at the near-headless corpse. Understanding that she lived in a royal setting her entire life, he gently grabbed her chin and forced her to stare at him.

"It is dead," Ryder said. "You are safe, but we have to move fast."

The Comanche captain knew that the girl couldn't understand him. However, he hoped his control of the situation would help calm her, which partly worked.

Seeing that the girl was okay, he took her hand and sat her by the tree to hide from unwanted attention. After looking at the surrounding area and seeing no one, Ryder knew that wouldn't last long. Nekos had to be scouting for a more significant force, so he knew others were coming.

He pulled the tomahawk out of Neko's neck and put it within one of the hostlers on his battle suit. He then started strip-searching for the corpse of anything valuable, beginning with taking off the armor and then stripping pieces of clothing. After ensuring no blood or other issues, he waved the girl over.

The girl slowly walked over, holding her arms to help keep herself warm. When they embarked on this journey, the blue and gold dual-color girlmaid outfit was well pressed, her brown hair was perfectly groomed, and her pale skin looked healthy. Now, she was wet, dirty, and struggling, as she wasn't adequately dressed to handle the wild, and, most importantly, she looked physically and emotionally exhausted.

Knowing she would gain hyperthermia if something were not done, he wrapped the girl in as much of the Neko clothing as possible, regardless of whether the clothing was too big for her. Any excess cloth he would wrap around and tie into a not so it would drag.

As the Captain wrapped the girl in additional clothing, he noticed that her maid's white gloves were mainly destroyed. He wanted to replace them with the Neko's more oversized gloves. To his shock, on the girl's right had been a tattoo. There was no tattoo; it was a small circle with a star on the back of the hand. The color was purple, with symbols by the star tips.

While he couldn't read it, the Comanche Captain recognized some symbols from Natilite and Fraeya's conversation regarding the differences between slaves and moduias. He saw some of these in the Kitsune village where the debate started. This binding mark showed that she was a slave and, from what he already saw at Forlace, a servant.

He looked back at her and saw only confusion in her reaction. The binding mark was standard for her but showed a sharp difference in their culture.

Seeing that the girl was taken care of, Ryder started gathering anything of value. Finding food, the Neko had what looked like some breaded biscuit and a meat pouch. Taking a quick sniff, he moved his face away as the meat didn't smell. He would say it was already cooked, making him assume it was snack food. However, the fact that it was not in a cold-contained container told him everything he needed to know about the sanitation level of these people.

Not wanting to risk snacking on the meat yet for fear of food poisoning, he took a bit from the biscuit. While he found it dry, it was edible, so he broke apart a more significant piece and handed it to the girl before putting the rest into a bag. He then grabbed a leather drinking pouch and shook it. Finding it primarily full, he took a sip and found the drink juicy. As before, he handed it to the girl so she could get hydrated but warned her not to drink too much.

Watching the girl consume almost everything, Ryder couldn't help but smirk as he found it cute for some reason. Since being captured by the enemy, he had little to be amused about. He was forced to fight, not stop, in a manner that made him realize there was no hope of winning. The Captain knew Kallam was trying to break him – he still had no idea. The Comanche soldier could only conclude that it was some honor superiority complex. Regardless of the reason, he made sure that he made the Vampire Lord work for it.

The Captain found another item: a small knife, identification, and a purse of coins. Deciding they had to clear, he gathered everything he found useful. He then grabbed the corpse and dragged the body into the bushes to attempt to cover their tracks.

Knowing they needed to escape this weather, Ryder kneeled to allow the girl to get on his back. He wrapped her legs around his arms and locked her in place. When ready, he stood and started running.

For what he believed were two days, this had been the theme. The two flee through the forest to reach Salva. At first, things were going well, and none of the castle guards followed them. This baffled the Captain as he expected it to be challenging. It was almost as if they decided not to search for him; however, he was unwilling to embrace the theory as he was far away from safety. The only reason the current group of militias was chasing them was because they came too close to a nearby town. He hoped to steal a few supplies and clothing from the outskirts but failed.

They could only get this far thanks to his Itlian battle suit. While not intently designed for a soldier to run nonstop for multiple days, the exoskeleton element was his saving grace. He could carry the girl on his back so she was not slowing them down while being able to maintain a constant pace. However, he knew the battle suit joints and connections would fail sooner or later.

Seeing that everything was cared for, Ryder knelt to allow the girl to get onto his back. Getting a good lock on her legs, he stood and ran off, using the mountain rage as a visual compass. With the girl's help pointing in what direction he needed to go, the Altaerrie man stuck with the countryside, which had proven rough, constantly forced to go through the hardest of paths. Along the chase, he discovered many roads; most were dirt, but others were concrete. He was forced to stay away from them as the risk of getting caught was too great.

During the travels, the rain did not relent. Even in the daytime, the clouds blocked the sun and all other forms of navigation, which concerned Ryder that they would get lost.

After hours of running, Mathew Ryder stopped beside a large boulder to catch his breath. All of his muscles were sore and screaming for rest. Seeing no one was in the area, he kneeled to allow the girl to get off. When she did, he stared at the girl.

She also looked exhausted; being in the carrying position for most of the day must have been hard. She had not fallen asleep once during the ordeal, which surprised him. The girl was tougher than he expected, so he gave her a thumbs up, which she gave a confused stare.

"You do not have thumbs, I see," Ryder said hyperbolically. He then saw her raise her hand and look at her thumb with the same baffled look, showing him she had them.

"It is a joke, a bad one, I know," Ryder said with an exhausted voice. He then saw the girl nodded in agreement.

The girl then reached to her side, grabbed the pouch, and handed it to him, offering him the juice. Ryder took it and could feel that there was only a quarter left. "Thank you." He then took a drink but made sure there was some left for later.

As the Captain's breathing stabilized, he felt the girl pulling his arm. Confused, he looked over and saw the girl point to the tree. When he looked, what he saw was beautiful. The tree bark was white with green leaves. These bulbs were scattered around the branches, each glowing slightly blue. The trunk was not a solid piece but sparkling around until it branched off. Small green pulses underneath the bark emitted a glow. Dozens of white and orange glowing spirits and pixie bugs floated around the tree like bees and flowers.

He recalled what Fraeya said about these Spirit bugs. The white ones were supposed to bring good luck to those who deserved it, while the orange ones brought misfortune. What kind of luck no one ever knows, and sometimes it was not immediate or noticeable, but right now, he would take anything.

He watched the girl with dual-eyed color walk around the tree, almost playing with the bugs. He decided to let her rest while he rested, as they needed the break.

Ryder watched one of the spirit bugs buzz past him to see what it would do. Before seeing the bug fly off, he noticed a cave in the distance.

"A cave," Ryder said with a sense of relief. "We can rest there."

The girl looked at him and then looked around.

Ryder was about to ask what was wrong but remembered that she couldn't understand him. He gently grabbed her arm to guide her to shelter. Seeing that he had her attention, he pointed in the direction they needed to go. That was when she saw the cave and glowed with excitement.

"Yeah," Ryder said. "Let's get out of this rain."

The cave was not close, just far enough to be recognizable in the distance if someone paid attention. There was a lot of foliage and large rocks scattered everywhere. The two held hands as they drew closer. He helped her cross many obstacles while keeping a sharp eye out for any clues about hostiles.

They walked past one of the large boulders, and Ryder heard a strange noise. He stopped and looked around, grabbing his sidearm as he felt like something was nearby. That was when he noticed the boulder rising from the ground.

To the Captain's surprise, the dirt around the boulder spat out in all directions with a green glow that followed. Then four thick legs emerged from the ground, and then a head. The body was glowing green, slowly fading as small particles spread. The animal looked closer to a massive turtle, but the shell looked like a giant rock with long rhino-like legs.

The beast let out a roar as it looked toward them, so he aimed in reaction.

The girl grabbed his arm and said, "No."

Ryder looked at her, confused, shocked that he understood her. However, he realized that many people like Fraeya spoke an evolved version of Latin and English, like most European languages, which evolved from that foundation, so it made sense there were a few words he could understand.

The Captain looked back at the monster, and it roared at him but slowly backed away. At first, the beast terrified him, but allowing himself to push aside any fear, he noticed that the animal was equally as scared of him. Ryder had grown so used to being hunted that he assumed everything was hostile. Seeing they were safe, he lowered his weapon, thrilled that he didn't have to waste the few bullets he had left.

The two entered the cave. Seeing a place to sit, the girl went down, and then he went deeper into the cave to see if he had found any sign of life. Besides, the cave was deep, and he did not want to be ambushed by another animal or possible inhabitants.

The cave was more profound than he expected, with a curve. He liked that feature as they could hide deeper without anyone noticing. Reaching the end of the cave, he saw no signs of life.

Pleased they finally found a safe place, he walked back to the girl, even if it was temporary. The Captain saw her sitting on the ground, arms wrapping around her body, shaking from the cold, something he could relate to.

Ryder kneeled beside her and started laying out all the supplies he took from Neko's corpse and what he could take from the armory, which was negligible. He wished he had more time to gather more supplies, but the Kitsune Head Maid wouldn't allow it, and the truth was that it was probably the right decision. Supplies and escaping were useless if you were captured; this was what years of training were meant for. Survive on little.

Seeing another biscuit, Ryder grabbed it. He studied it momentarily as he debated how to split up their rations. The Captain then broke the bar into 60/40 proportions and handed her the significant half. He knew he could always eat whatever she couldn't finish later. While in a survival situation, he had the right to take most of the rations because of his bigger size, performing most of the heavy lifting, and if engaging the enemy, he would do all the fighting as he was the soldier and male. In the civilian world, that would sound cruel and barbaric. Still, it usually needed to be done hard when it was about long-term survival. However, he couldn't force himself to withhold food and water from her. At least not yet.

The girl had placed an unprecedented amount of trust in him, being a strange male from another world. He had no idea what transpired to force her to take this kind of risk. He had heard plenty of stories from his mentor, Colonel Hackett, during his deployments against the Human Trafficking Route on both American continents, leading from the south into the heartland of the United States by the Cartels. They were horrific, so he had an idea of the fear lingering inside the girl's mind - the worries.

He had no intention of turning any fears into reality. While it would be in his right to abandon the girl to save himself, he swore to God he would never consider that as an option. They would get home together or not.

Ryder saw his radio box sending an IFF signal to other battle suits. The range was short, being used for squad-base warfare. If he turned it one, it could help his comrades hon into his position. However, he had already been considered with his battery lifespan and turned everything he could off to preserve power. In addition, he doubted they were nearby to pick up the signal, and he had no idea if the enemy could pick up on his beacon.

He decided he was too deep in enemy territory and needed to wait a few more days before deciding his options.

Looking back at the cold girl who had eaten half of the biscuit, he noticed she was staring at him. She handed the rest of the biscuit back. Ryder took it and replied, "Thank you. Stay here, and I will go get firewood." He said this while trying to convey his meaning with his hands.

The Comanche captain stood and then headed outside the cave to find supplies.