Author's Note
I sincerely apologize for the delay on this chapter, I had some difficulties with health and work, but once again have access to both the free time and the willpower to continue to write. I'm not sure if this section should be at the top or bottom, does it matter? For now it is at the top.
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[BZE-110234 "Colonial": 22:06 ???, Upper Deck] - Day 012
Rose extended and retracted the combat blades from her prosthetic arm as she contemplated how much heavier it felt than her human arm had. All of the surplus materials in the Bai Ze had been used to create the protective mist that turned the tables during the ambush, halting the production of ammunition in favour of medical supplies to treat the injured, and new training programs for the children on board.
Satellites, a defensive perimeter, and research stations all had to be built if the Bai Ze could even hope to stand a chance against the superior technology of its enemies. Just remembering the unnatural ways in which the assault had been carried out caused shivers to run down her spine. The hospitals were full, and the only ships that remained operable were heading out of the safe zone, and directly towards the land from which the temporarily named demons had come from.
An ethereal being that was mimicking the form of a young girl sneered as she spoke her native tongue, "Do you really think this storm will disguise your approach?"
"This is a show of force," Rose rebutted, "Your ships would have capsized in this weather."
Of course, since her helmet was doing the translation, Rose could never know how censored her words were when speaking to the traitorous thing. It claimed to be helping, and even cooperated with the learning of its language, in return for it being granted leadership of its home continent. Keeping it as far from the Bai Ze as possible was actually the main goal of the expeditionary force as it was unknown how much information it would have been able to glean.
"Even without leadership the demon continent has never been successfully invaded before. The majority of the demonic army is stationed in coastal fortifications, we won't be able to take and hold any significant land, even with your weaponry..."
Rose didn't let it finish, "The goal is peacefully setting up an embassy." Along with secret mining operations, research facilities, factories, and prisons. She thought.
The ghostly former general seemed satisfied with the response, though it clearly understood that an embassy wasn't the only thing about to be imposed upon its fellow demons. If all of its claims could be trusted, it was the lord of the port city the demonic fleet had set out from. Theoretically, permissions for the demolishing of old buildings, and the construction of new buildings had already been granted to the expeditionary force. Obviously nothing would go smoothly once the operation actually began.
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Not a single recon drone had been interfered with as they recorded life in the city about to be occupied. Thankfully, their detection system was tailored to only discover encroachments made by 'mana' powered devices. The city was being run by the humanoid type demons with red eyes, and all the other races were trod upon like dirt beneath the boots of a power crazed despot. It seemed the populace was contained beneath the wealthy by having the mana they generated absorbed into the walls to power farms, lights, and the automatons that prevented their escape. As the poor had no walls, and the automated security didn't detect threats from non-mana powered entities, gaining entry would be easier than initially planned.
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Fully dressed in the masked and hooded parade uniforms to prevent contamination, orderly formations stood picturesque as the loudspeakers broadcast a bearing of gifts to the glorious city leaders who, in turn, lined up to greet their guests along a harbour filled with docks too small for any of the incoming vessels. Red and black dust seemed to be piled along every alley as Rose approached in her landing craft laden with gold that wasn't 100% pure because it had been enchanted by the ghost general to appear extra shiny, and less suspicious. Dilapidated medieval-looking buildings leaned out over the alleys creating a sea of blackness and poverty behind a foreground of empty shipyards beneath a floating platform upon which the wealthy placed their estates. The downtrodden peered from glassless windows while city officials, and guards in fancy dress appeared irritated that their guests had chosen to dock at the industrial port instead of the luxurious one. Several freshly polished automatic guards patrolled behind the welcoming party to keep the riffraff away.
The city skyline was slanted as an artificial hill of greenery and pleasant estates rose from the elaborate port, and mysteriously suspended itself over the the housing of the poor. Seeing it in person, Rose had mixed feelings about how a seemingly medieval society had become able to utilize the technology to build such a thing without understanding how it really worked due to passing it off as magic. In fact, the more things appeared to be similar to the fantasy literature, and games she had grown up with, the less she could bring herself to relax. Rose's orders were to have generosity as visible to the lower class as possible, so she made sure to have the extra shiny gold displayed marvelously on the platform she was directed to place it on. It floated straight upwards without being magnetic, and there were neither cables nor detectable propellants used to raise it aside from the mysterious omnipresent microorganism referred to by the indigenous populace as mana. Rose marked the time of her mask's camera as important to ensure the footage was a higher priority for analyzation.
More landing crafts began to arrive with their gifts of gold and gems, and Rose moved aside to pose as an overseeing officer while the real ones moved cargo in slightly less fancy uniforms. Turning up the volume of the music channel to a barely audible level, she enjoyed the spectacle of well-drilled soldiers stepping in sync with orchestral music fit for an epic. Much of the usually awe inspiring impact was lost due to the fact that the soldiers were in the white, light blue, and silver peacekeeping colours instead of the usual red, black, and gold. As she stood there, the floating platforms that continued to raise treasure without ever coming back down proved to be a distraction. While she was hypothesizing about mana's true form being a highly advanced utility fog that happened to outlive its creators, a young guard with rams horns and a thin tail stepped up behind her and cleared his throat. It took her a second to remember that beings from other nations couldn't know she was watching them through hidden cameras, and turned to face him.
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"W-whfmm ffm," he seemed too embarrassed to speak, so Rose had her mask to display her face, and gave her best reassuring smile while slightly tilting her head questioningly to bid him continue.
Coughing once more, he began again, slightly blushing, "What race might you be?"
"Undead," Rose almost cut him off with how quickly her answer came. It had been decided to claim such when in the demon continent as humans were greatly detested, and an otherworldy undead aura was the easiest way to explain the feelings of unease mana based organisms felt when encountering something containing none of their most common bacteria. It was also true that all of the staff aboard the Bai Ze had their hearts stopped, and restarted during an operation.
After he hummed to himself as though it helped with thinking, the guard raised an eyebrow and questioned, "I had been led to believe that the undead were prone to corrupting things. How did you keep the gifts you bestow upon us so pure?"
"The uniform is sealed."
"Rather business like answers you give."
"This is business."
He moved to stand beside Rose as she turned to continue observing the processions, "As we shall shortly be sharing an employer, formalities don't need to be so strictly upheld."
He continued, "May I inquire as to what you are named?"
"Rose."
"R~oa~se?"
It seemed the translator didn't change the pronunciation of her name to match its meaning, so she displayed a rose on white on her mask, and turned to show him, "A flower," and then curious as to what the translator would do with his name she returned the question after returning the mask display to peacekeeper.
"Northern Trail is what I am called."
The translation program hadn't focused much on name recognition, and while Rose found some amusement in it, Northern Trail continued his introduction, "It means path to the north."
"Nice to meet you, Northern Trail."
He froze for a split second before taking a deep breath, "Could it be that you are able to understand the tongue of the ancients?"
Rose noted to her translator that when using Northern Trail, and imagining a horned, tailed, purple haired, red eyed, male to use the 'tongue of the ancients'.
"Did I say something in it?"
"No, you just," he diverted his eyes to the position a human's would be during an internal dialogue, but with his species it may not have meant that, "It was a misunderstanding on my part. I apologize if I had made you uncomfortable in any way."
"We are going to be unloading all night at this rate, so if you want, you can leave with the politicians."
"Would you appreciate it if I showed you some of the finer places in this town?"
"The official tour will suffice," although she had intended to end the conversation, Rose decided that it was a good idea to collect additional data, "What race are you from?"
Seemingly pleased that she asked a question of him he puffed up his chest in pride and proclaimed himself to be a succubus.
"Age?"
"..."
Rose, again displaying her face, showcased the most unimpressed expression that a succubus had ever seen from a member of the opposite sex, even from an undead.
Northern Trail laughed for a short while and attempted to change the subject, "You don't need to be worried, I'm not sure what succubi were like in your old world, but on this demon continent, we are hardly intrusive."
"Age," the caution indicator flashed in her HUD, "Tell me, and I'll go on the tour you offered."
He whispered the number, before backing away sheepishly. He was younger than Rose. Northern Trail's actions drew the attention of one of the other guards, who promptly distanced Northern Trail from her, and assumed a position in between the two of them. Standing at attention in a newfound silence, all Rose had to do was wait. Security had been successfully focused on the loading of treasures, the only ships noticed were above the surface.
As the last of the treasures were lifted up, the soldiers began to take the lift as well. In small groups, people were loaded on, and taken to the noble’s district. Rose, and the guards were to go up last and ensure that none of the lower class would be able to get past the automatons and sully the pristine environment of above. Last to ascend, Rose felt a combination of pride, and nervousness at a job completed, as well as all the further challenges that its outcome had created.
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[Demon Continent: The 5th Hour: Undercity]
InSun had lived his entire life beneath the shadow of magic users. His parents had hoped, no, they had barely dared to dream that one day he might stand below the sun in the sky, and bask in its warmth. All the inhabitants of the undercity only existed as living batteries. Power sources to only be kept alive until they reproduced successfully while being constantly drained of energy by oppressive magical formulas engraved into the stones upon which they walked. There was no education, there was no food surplus, no amount of training could be had, and as such, there was no hope of escape. Insun had only ever seen a tired gait in others, an aimless wandering that moved soulless eyes from place to place as if searching for something they had yet to realize they had passed by a thousand times.
One day, Insun stumbled across a blur. The blur of swift movements. He knew at once what it was that he saw, though he had never seen it before. He saw strength, he saw power, but most of all he saw a man who had not yet succumbed to the draining existence Insun had lived all his life. He followed the white figure has fast as he could, but his clumsy legs could not hurtle him quite as fast as he needed to. It didn't matter any more. Insun wasn't the only one, he only needed to follow the crowd. He stumbled forwards, suddenly a single wave in a surging river, Insun felt something he thought had died with his parents. Insun felt hope, and the ones clad in white would bring it to him.