Now approaching the gate, they could see guards stationed outside, each clad in ornate armour. The guards raising their weapons at the unknown group. Luna began waving and bouncing up and down, grabbing the attention of one of the guards, whom lowered his weapon. The other guard followed suit before waving back to Luna.

"Ah, Luna! You've returned. Good to see you’re still in one piece. Uh, who are these newcomers you’ve brought along?" asked one of the guards, eyeing Victor, his cadre and the cyborgs with suspicion.

“These are the people with possession of the metal gryphon” Luna said, pointing toward the Brotherhood insignia on his chest. “See? That’s the same painting the scouts saw on it!”

The guard looked at the emblem, and his eyes widened in realisation. "By the gods, it is! The metal gryphon! The one that flew faster than the wyverns!" He glanced at Victor and the cadre with newfound wonder. "Welcome to Thalindor.” he said, both guards stamping their feet and shields in respect. “My apologies for the initial suspicion. We've really been on edge since the Veridian Empire's attack."

“I understand,” Victor replied. “Caution is good. We’re quite well versed in defending our own lands so there’s no need to apologize.”

The guard who had first spoken nodded. "You have our gratitude for understanding. May I ask of your name?"

“I am Lieutenant Victor Thorn. Pleased to make your acquaintance” Victor replied, shaking the guard’s hand. The other guard took it upon himself to open the towering gate to the city.

As the group, lead by Luna, entered the city, everyone was in a state of bewilderment. The city was teeming with life of all shapes, sizes and races. Large swathes of people littered the city streets, being human, demi-human, and anthropomorphic animals. A truly diverse populace.

Victor was taken aback by the different races in the city. He had never seen anything like it before, outside of Tiberium mutants, but they were still human or animal in some form or another. These were wildly different. Normal humans going their lives side-by-side with other races. Demi-humans, humans with distinct animalistic features like tails and ears, along with anthropomorphic animals, sporting a humanoid appearance albeit only in stature.

As they walked, the group's unique appearance drew the attention of the locals. Whispers and curious gazes followed them wherever they went.

"They're unlike anyone we've ever seen," one woman murmured, her eyes fixed on the group of outsiders "Who are they?"

A young boy tugged at his father's sleeve and pointed toward the newcomers. "Look, Dad! They've got the metal dragon's mark on them! Do you think they tamed it?"

His father, a man with distinct lupine features, ruffled his son's hair. "I'm not sure, son. They could well have… Such strange looking folks…"

The group continued to walk through the streets on the way to the council chambers, drawing the attention of everyone they pass. The murmurs of people of all different walks of life catch their ears every so often.

Amidst the conversations and gazes, Victor caught small mentions of words like "metal gryphon," "sky chariot," and "strange armour." This world really was unaware of the kind of technology they possess. The mere sight of the Banshee was enough to send the whole city into a tizzy.

As they approached the council chambers, a large stone and wood building with intricate architecture and grand banners hanging outside, Luna led them to the entrance. Two guards, similar to the ones they had encountered at the gate, stood dutifully as they guarded the doors from any would-be intruders.

Luna spoke to the guards, "Hey, guys. I've brought these people who say they’re on a diplomatic mission. They are from a distant land unknown to any of us." She then introduced Victor, "This is Lieutenant Victor Thorn. He’s the one who’s seeking an audience with the council and the Lord."

The guards looked at each other, nodding in unison before opening ringing a bell and opening the doors. The guards inside the council chambers began marching in unison with the opening of the doors, their armoured boots echoing on the polished stone floors as they led the group down a hallway adorned with banners representing different factions and cities within the larger kingdom.

As the soldiers led the group, Victor and his cadre were met with a mix of awe and curiosity from the guards, having never seen anything like them before. Their advanced armour and weaponry confused most all of them.

As they approached the doors of the council chambers, Victor couldn't help but feel nervous about what awaited him inside. He had spent all his life in the service of the Brotherhood, but with this new world came new politics and cultures. He'd had many diplomatic run-ins with The Forgotten and other tribes before, but everything he had seen to this point was completely different to anything he could've ever imagined.

As the doors to the council chambers slowly opened, a large hall was revealed. The hall was filled with long tables, chairs, and a dais at the end of the room where a large throne-like chair sat empty, awaiting the arrival of Lord Ealdred.

As they entered, Victor couldn’t help but be enamoured at the sights around him. It looked right out of a fantasy book. Polished stone walls clad with banners, portraits of previous leaders, flickering candles, and various other intricacies dotted all around. His gaze then shifted to the council members, all whom of which were staring at the newcomers standing in the doorway. There were seven councillors present, all sat in their seats at the table.

Like Victor noticed about the populace of the city, the members of the council were all different races. Two humans, Three demi-humans, and two anthropomorphic animals. All of the councillors were frozen solid at the sight of the group, the large and imposing stature of the Elite Cadre and the two cyborgs stood behind the group.

The Elite Cadre all held their M16 Mk.II Assault Rifles in a lowered position. Their helmets with their intimidating glowing V shaped visor added to the councillors unease. Just what had walked through that door? Could it be their downfall or salvation? All these thoughts ran through each of the councillors’ heads as they began to move their eyes away from the group and to the throne, awaiting Lord Ealdred.

Victor and the group walked forward further into the room, the councillors staring at them as they made their way before the empty throne. It was then that Lord Ealdred entered the room, a tall and imposing figure clad in ornate robes. He had a long feline tail and lion-esque appearance. Victor took a quick look at him as he walked in and noticed he was just like those other animal humanoids.

Lord Ealdred walked to the throne, taking a seat while shooting occasional glances at each of the members of the group. Victor stood straight, his armour glistening in the sunlight peering through the window behind the throne.

“Brothers, engage safeties and disarm.” Victor said with a sense of authority. Each of the five Elite Cadre did exactly as he said, each engaging the safety settings on their rifles and placing them upon their backs.

Lord Ealdred looked at Victor with intrigue. He could feel the authority that he held just through the tone of his voice. Looking at the soldiers, he noticed they were all clad in identical heavy black armour. This made him think of the time before he became lord, being a general in the Thalindorian army, though this armour gave off a more sinister feeling. The red and black colour reminded him of the Veridian Empire’s soldiers’ armour, though this seemed way more advanced. His mind wandered before he was interrupted by Luna, as energetic as ever.

“Ah, Luna! Glad to see you’re still in high spirits after all the battling.” Lord Ealdred said, chuckling at Luna’s giddy demeanour.

“Good to see you too, your highness.” She replied, a large grin on her fuzzy face.

“So, do you mind telling me who these visitors you’ve brought are?” Lord Ealdred asked, looking at the group. He had noticed the insignia emblazoned on Victor’s chest. This caused him to raise an eyebrow. It looked just as the emblem upon the metal dragon was described by the scouts...

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Luna, struggling to contain her excitement, introduced Victor and the group to Lord Ealdred as she knelt before him, "Your Highness, these are the people with possession of the metal gryphon, the ones that flew faster than our wyverns that the scouts told you about. This man here,” pointing at Victor, “is Lieutenant Victor Thorn, and these are his Elite Cadre." She gestured towards the soldiers and the cyborgs.

“The metal gryphon…” he said, trailing off as the stared at Victor’s scarred face. The eye patch grabbing his attention, his tail flicking as he continued to scrutinize the people standing in front of him.

Victor, aware of the silent examination, explained, "The metal gryphon, as you called it, is one of our advanced technological crafts. It was merely a scout craft deployed to survey the area."

Lord Ealdred's attention shifted from Victor's eye patch to the emblem on his chest once again. "This emblem, it matches the one on the metal gryphon's hull as explained by our scouts. A symbol of your country perhaps?" he asked out of curiosity. The distinct black curled scorpion's tail looked nothing like he had ever seen before in all of his political career.

Victor chuckled, “No, not quite. It is the insignia of our organization, the Brotherhood of Nod.” He pointed toward both the badge on his beret and the logo on his chest. Lord Ealdred let out a curious hum, stroking his fluffy chin as he took in the information.

“A Brotherhood? Interesting." he thought aloud. "Are you maybe a religious organization?"

Victor nodded, "Yes, in a way. The Brotherhood of Nod does have some religious aspects in a way. Though we aren't driven solely by our fervency to our prophet. We are mostly aimed towards the unification of people around the globe under our banner, especially people oppressed by higher powers."

Lord Ealdred considered this explanation, his lion-like eyes gazing at Victor. "Your Brotherhood is quite the complex organization, it seems," he remarked. "I must say, the mention of this global unification raises many questions. I understand you come from lands far away, bur arriving in a day is quite impressive. Your technology and clothing are quite peculiar, nothing like I've ever seen in all my life. Please do indulge me."

The barrage of questions kept coming, Victor choosing to ignore the majority of them out of self preservation. He’d never had to answer more than a few questions on diplomatic expeditions on earth, but with the people of this city, along with the Lord, being quite inquisitive, it left him a little exhausted.

Victor, with a patient smile, answered as best as he could without revealing too much sensitive information. He explained the basics around the formation of the Brotherhood over 3000 years ago. He then went on to explain how their technology had been developed to counter GDI during the first and subsequent Tiberium War on Earth. The mention of GDI piqued Lord Ealdred's curiosity. During the explanation, Victor revealed that they were not from this world. Lord Ealdred's eyes widened at Victor mentioning "their world".

"Your world? You mean to tell me that you aren't of this world? What kind of preposterous nonsense is that?" Lord Ealdred's voice wavered slightly, and he chuckled, attempting to mask his unease. "Mind telling me what you mean by that?”

Victor nodded, understanding Lord Ealdred's surprise. "I know it might sound preposterous as you said, but it's true. We come from another place entirely, a planet called Earth. A few days ago, the whole of Brotherhood controlled land was engulfed by a large storm. We suspected it to be nothing more than a normal ion storm, but it kept getting worse and worse. It lasted for hours longer than usual. When it cleared, we found ourselves relocated to our holy land of Bosnia, near Temple Prime. It was then we received notification of us being surrounded by water. Our satellites were slowly coming back online, when we noticed a landmass south of our country. It was then we sent the scout craft that we call a Banshee, the thing everyone here."

Victor took a deep breath and continued as Lord Ealdred leaned forward in his throne, "So, when the Banshee returned from its scouting mission, the inner circle decided it would be the best course of action to send an envoy and chose me as said envoy, which brought me here to Thalindor. We're still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but at this point it's pretty clear to us that this is a completely different world to what we're accustomed to. It's going to take everyone some getting used to if we're going to be here for the foreseeable future."

Lord Ealdred sat back in his throne, the room falling silent as Victor finished his explanation. The councillors were in awe at the tale they had just heard. Each of them flabbergasted, jaws agape and eyes wide as if they’d seen ghosts. The Cadre, still behind Victor, stood straight as they awaited their orders.

Lord Ealdred glanced at each of the Elite Cadre and realized that Victor may be telling the truth, the kind of armour and the strange metal box things they were holding being nothing that he had ever seen.

“That is… Quite the tale, Lieutenant Victor Thorn. I must say, this is a lot of information to take it at once. Though I only have myself to blame for that.” he laughed, realising he was getting exactly what he asked for “So, you come from somewhere called ‘Earth’? Interesting. I’ve never heard of such a place. Is it anything like our planet at all?” he asked.

“Hmm… I’m not sure how I should explain, but in brevity, this planet is completely different from the very little we’ve seen. This planet is so lush and untouched by either Tiberium or the ravages of industry and war. Let’s just say that the difference is worlds apart.” Victor couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make light of the situation, but a pun like that? It made him recoil in embarrassment. He promptly cleared his throat and wiped the childish smirk off his face before waiting for any more questions.

As the council members whispered among themselves, Lord Ealdred remained focused on Victor. "Since you've come from such a different place, you must have many questions about our world as well. I imagine you've already noticed the diversity of our people and our technology and magic, which is likely far different from what you're accustomed to. I suppose it would be a good idea to arrange a meeting sometime in the future to learn more about your world and your Brotherhood. For now, I think it would be best to stop with the questions and get down to the matter you came here for in the first place."

Victor nodded in agreement with his sentiment, clearing his throat. “You’re right. I think we should leave the rest of the information for a later time. So, the main reasons I was dispatched here was to maybe build ties between our countries. I understand you are but a city of a larger kingdom, but baby steps. We seek to build positive trade relations with you, as we are currently isolated. Our lands are incapable of propagating any kind of crops so we hope that we could rely on you to facilitate our need for said crops.”

Lord Ealdred sat back in his chair. “Just crops? I suppose we could spare crops for trade. What exactly do you have to offer in trade of our crops? I take it you require enough to feed an entire country, correct?”

Victor once again nodded. “That would be correct. Currently, we use vertical farms of which can only sustain a few hundred thousand of the people we harbour. Our current population is now way more than we originally had to provide for before the transfer, so we can no longer rely on our current output.” he said, sighing in slight disappointment. He knew just how dire the situation related to food was. Since the transfer, the population had at least tripled, now being over ten million. Most of which were living in slums and shanty towns, many of which were filled with Tibeirum mutants.

“I see,” Lord Ealdred said, letting out a long ponderous sigh and brushing his furry chin. “So, thanks to our fertile lands and prominence as a farming city, we can provide for at least twelve million quite easily. The main issue is how you intend to pay for this trade.”

Victor scratched his head, now deep in thought. He had remembered Luna mentioning something about a Veridian Empire and them being at odds with Thalindor. It was then it struck him. “I do remember something Luna mentioned about a Veridian Empire…” Victor said, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

“She did, hmm?” Lord Ealdred wondered. He was suddenly struck by an idea. “I understand you have recently transferred to our world so might be unfamiliar with our currencies and exchanges. So I propose a different kind of payment.” This catching Victor’s attention.

“I presume Luna told you about the recent attack on our city by the Veridian Empire, correct?” He asked, met by a nod from Victor. “Very well, so I propose this. As payment for the food, I propose we become a protectorate of yours. I believe it would benefit us both.”

Victor stood still, pondering the ramifications of entering such an agreement. Though it came to him that he was in a different world, so this would probably be the best idea. No fiat currencies that they know of are available here, so in the eyes of an outsider, they have no economy.

“I understand. I will consider this and relay to the inner circle before I make a decision.” Victor replied. A look of defeat befell both Luna and Lord Ealdred’s faces, both their tails becoming limp and ears flopping forward.

“Very well then. How long will it take to come to a decision?” Lord Ealdred asked, becoming more desperate.

“It’s likely they may make a decision as early as tonight.” Victor replied. “May we be excused? I need to convene with them right away about this offer”.

“You may be excused… Wait, as early as tonight? I sense no mana running through any of your bodies, but you can still use Aetherlink?” he asked, surprised and confused.

Victor furrowed his brow in confusion. “Aetherlink? Is that what you use here?” he asked, curious.

“You do not use Aetherlink? It’s our main method of long distance communication! You are able to do the same without it?” Lord Ealdred asked, shocked. He’d never heard of anyone being able to communicate long distances without an Aetherlink beside from being a telepath.

“Correct. I believe it may be another long explanation, so I’ll leave it for another time.” Victor said, smirking as he turned to exit the room, his squad following suit, promptly disengaging the safety setting on their rifles before they were stopped by Lord Ealdred’s booming voice.

“Oh, Lieutenant, I forgot to say, we have accommodations in my castle enough for you and your group. Please do make use of them. I want you to enjoy your time here in Thalindor, so I will task Luna to take you to them.” his voice echoed abruptly, as if he had almost forgot. Luna’s bunny ears perked up as her head shot toward Lord Ealdred.

Luna nodded, acknowledging her task before leading Victor and his group out of the room. The large doors began to close behind them as a discussion erupted in the room between the councillors and Lord Ealdred.

“Well, I hope your inner circle will agree to the offer. We could really use more support.” Luna said, walking close to Victor. Her deep blue eyes making contact with his, pupils wide. Victor saw her puppy-eyed look, deciding to divert his gaze to his squad, now surrounding him once more.

“Brothers, I believe I can defend myself adequately in close quarters. Please don’t crowd me like that.” he said, the soldiers deciding to fall back to behind Victor. “Thank you. So, as you just heard, we’ll be taking residence at the castle for the time being, so be on your best behaviours.” The group all replied in unison “Yes sir!”, Luna looking at each of them as they did.