We recounted our adventures to Rathor over the next few hours, who seemed especially interested when I told him about the magical materials I had acquired.
He demanded that I fork them over and I complied, materializing a copy of each material in my hand before passing them to his eagerly waiting hands.
As soon as the materials touched his hands, he instantly absorbed them before quickly hurrying off to test their abilities on various objects and leaving Mindal and I alone in the command room.
Just as we're about to leave a red light starts flashing on one of the monitors overseeing the Erstan gate, and drawing our attention.
Standing nervously on the hill in front of the wall, was a familiar furry eared girl along with an older boy of similar appearance.
The girl was hiding behind the taller figure of the boy, who looked around nervously, as if expecting a viscous monster to appear next to them and snatch them up.
Realizing they must be here to take me up on my offer, I sprint out of the command room, through the bunker, and down the mountain tunnel to reach them before they change their minds.
With thundering footsteps echoing through the tunnel, I reach the gate within only a few minutes, having traversed the distance with ease.
On a LCD screen embedded next to the gate, I could see them looking even more nervous than before. No doubt having heard my loud steps from the opposite side of the wall as I ran.
I quickly scan my ID to the gate and wait patiently as the massive gear system raises it into the ceiling until I'm standing in the open gateway with the two beast people staring at me.
I slowly walk towards the pair, being sure to appear as harmless as possible despite my hulking size. Still, the boy pushes the girl behind him and stands protectively in front of her as I approach, speaking loudly when I'm within earshot.
"Stop right there!" He says while holding his hand out. "Don't come any closer."
"Relax, I mean you no harm." I respond with my arms held out to show I'm unarmed.
"I take it you're here to accept my offer?" I ask loudly. "There's no need to be frightened even if you're not."
"I came here to return your fake gold." He says as he throws a sack of coins to the ground. "I also want my sister's materials returned to her."
"I can guarantee you, that gold is real." I say with genuine surprise in my voice. "You can keep it. I'll even return your materials if you want."
"Stop lying, I can tell it's fake." He says. "Every coin is exactly the same, not even the Empire's coin forges can create such perfect replicas."
"You're right." I laugh before allowing a waterfall of gold coins to materialize out of my hand and fall to the ground. "I made those coins myself, but they're still pure gold."
He stares at the mountain of gold forming on the grassy dirt, practically drooling at the wealth in front of him, before shaking his head and meeting my gaze again.
"We still don't want your gold." He says with determination in his voice. "If the Empire finds out what you've been doing they'll throw the book at you and charge you more in fines than you could ever create."
I shrug before gesturing at the wall of cannons behind me. "They can try."
"If you'd prefer, I can offer you other forms of payment." I say as dragon scales, food, water, armor, and even a fusion sword fall to the ground at my feet.
This seems to interest him much more as his eyes light up after seeing the sword and he turns to his sister to talk in hushed tones.
After discussing it for a short while, he turns back to me before speaking.
"Before I accept or decline, what exactly would this job entail? Will I have to fight against the Empire if we work for you? And what about my sister? Will she be treated fairly?"
"You won't have to fight any battles for me." I say as I laugh. "All I need from you is any knowledge you may have about the jungle, the monsters within, and the Empire."
"As for your sister, she is more than welcome to stay under our protection for the duration of your employment. She will have access to as much food, water, and training she desires during her stay with us."
"This will initially be a short term employment, but if everything works out, we might consider letting you stay with us long term but no promises."
He waits patiently while I speak and takes a moment to think and discuss it with his sister before offering a reply.
"I'm leaning towards accepting your offer for the time being, but I want to see where we'll be staying before you accept."
"Of course." I reply before turning back towards the open gate and motioning for them to follow. "Follow me and I'll give you the tour."
They both follow cautiously behind, staying at a safe distance behind me as we pass through the gate.
They both tense up as the gate starts to close behind them, but seem to relax when the bright lights of the tunnel blink on to illuminate the darkness.
As we pass by the massive ammo belts, both of them stare in awe, with the girl closely examining every intricate piece of machinery she catches sight of.
After a short pause to allow them to adjust, we enter the tunnel and walk towards the main mountain.
After almost an hour of walking in silence, the tunnel begins to brighten and we enter the main fortress area.
They gaze in wonder at the fortifications in front of them, nervously talking amongst themselves, with every new sight causing a bout of excited chatter.
We walk for another few minutes, skirting the walls of the fortress, before arriving at the large gate within its' walls.
The gate opens and reveals Mindal and Rathor waiting for us within, causing the two beast children to shrink away in caution before I can offer reassurance.
"These two are my friends." I say with a gesture towards the two men. "They won't harm you while you're here."
Having been somewhat satisfied with my words, the two children follow me as I step through the gateway and join my friends on the other side.
"What's the plan with these two?" Rathor says quietly. "I know you want to collect more resources from monsters but we could do that easily ourselves."
"We need to gain information on how the Empire operates if we want to gain the upper hand." I explain with a whisper. "These two have been living in Erstan for some time, so they can offer us valuable information. The monster hunting is just a façade to make them believe we don't have ulterior motives."
After nodding in acceptance, Rathor and Mindal turn to enter the door leading into the mountain. I follow behind them shortly after with the children in tow as we enter the base.
Rathor leads us through the main room and through a door labeled quarters that leads to a hallway with hundreds of doors embedded in its' walls.
After another short walk, he stops at a blank, plasteel door and opens it before stepping inside.
We follow behind, with myself crouching through the doorway and the children peeking around the doorframe before entering.
The room within was small, but well built, with comfortably wooden flooring and plush, synthetic furniture.
The room had two, well made beds nestled in the far right corner, with a door leading to a bathroom on the opposite wall.
The two children stared curiously at the furniture, with the girl poking and prodding at the beds before, seemingly satisfied, she leapt onto the mattress with a loud plop.
She rolled about on the bed with a satisfied look on her face before sitting up and addressing her brother.
"Reka, you've got to try this!" She said with glee. "I've never felt a bed so comfy before!"
Reka simply rolled his eyes before poking at his own bed for a few seconds before moving to the bathroom and peering inside.
"What's this room for?" He says as he turns to me with a look of confusion.
"It's a bathroom." I explain. "You can relieve yourselves and bathe in the shower."
After I finish speaking, Rathor enters the bathroom and shows him how to use the knobs on the shower, causing Reka to cry out in surprise when hot water pours from the shower.
"Are you a mage?" He asks after exiting the bathroom. "I've only heard of hot water being used for the wealthy or in the homes of mages!"
"No, although we can cast spells, we heat the water with technology, not magic." Rathor explains.
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Although he seems to be unable to grasp the concept of magicless hot water, Reka nods at Rathor's explanation before moving to his bed again.
He pokes at the mattress once more before gingerly sitting on it. Seemingly satisfied with its' cushioning, he then allows his back to fall down and rests his head on the pillow with a huge grin on his face, before suddenly sitting up and looking at me.
"If this room is where we'll be staying, I'm more than happy to work for you to pay for it." He says
"Excellent." I reply with a sharp nod. "Why don't you two wash the dirt and grime from your skin and have a hot meal in the cafeteria before you settle in for the night. I'll be waiting outside your room when you're ready to eat."
After a nod of acceptance from Reka, Mindal, Rathor and I leave the room to allow them some privacy, and my friends head off to continue whatever they were doing previously and leave me waiting outside their door.
After a short wait, the two emerge from the room, now damp after a hot shower and follow me as I lead the way to their promised meal.
"Now that you two are under my employ, I think introductions are in order." I say as we walk.
"I am Officer Clark of the Federation, but you can call me Clark if that's easier. My friends and I were sent to this land to learn more about the people within and establish friendly ties with them."
"It's nice to meet you, Clark. I am Reka of the beast folk and I'm looking forward to working in your employ." Reka says, finishing with a small bow.
"And I'm Shemrin!" The girl says while jumping up and down, causing Reka to roll his eyes. "Thank you for the super comfy bed and the hot water!"
"You're welcome." I say with a genuine smile hidden beneath my armor. "I only offer the best to those within my employ. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Shortly after our introduction, we arrive at the cafeteria which was currently empty as our men had already eaten several hours prior.
I help the two pick out a variety of fruits and meat for them to try, and we take a seat at one of the tables closest to the food dispensary incase they wanted more.
After taking an exploratory first bite, the two children began to eagerly dig into their meals, returning to the dispensary multiple times until they leaned back in their chairs with bloated bellies and satisfied looks on their faces.
Now that they were sitting close to me, I was able to get a better look at their features.
Reka was close to six feet tall with mostly human features, save for the two grey furred ears that adorned his head.
Shemrin was smaller, closer to five feet tall and sported a pair of white ears atop her head.
Noticing my gaze, Shemrin looks at the empty table in front of me before speaking.
"Why didn't you eat anything mister Clark? Aren't you hungry too?"
"I already ate." I say with a laugh before asking a question of my own. "I don't mean to pry, but how old are you two exactly? It's fine if you don't want to answer."
"It's okay." Reka says, speaking up. "I just turned 17, and Shemrin is 12."
"What are you both doing on your own?" I ask curiously. "Where are your parents?"
When I finished my question, Reka visibly flinched, and Shemrin looked down at the floor.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." I say holding my hands up with open palms. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"They were caught trying to steal some burnt bread from a bakery in Erstan." Reka spat. "They were just trying to feed us, and since the Empire is in the middle of a war with the Eastern Empire, they were drafted into the military."
"That was six years ago and we haven't seen them since, so they're probably dead." He stared at the table as he finished, a deep sorrow showing itself on his face.
"I'm sorry." I say truthfully. "I'm sure they cared about you more than you know. If you want, I can try to find them for you."
"It's no use." Reka replies. "If they were still alive, they would have found a way to return by now. The Empire uses my people like pawns in a grand battle, throwing them carelessly at the enemy to disrupt their lines."
I nod in thought for a moment before standing up and speaking. "Alright. If you're both finished eating I think you should get some rest for the night."
They both rise from their chairs and I take their trays to the dispensary and almost leave them, before suddenly getting a bright idea after remembering a neat invention Rathor had shown me earlier.
I grab both of their drink cups and covertly stash them inside my chest, being careful to not damage them while I do.
I then drop the trays into the dispensary, and after a short walk back to their room, and making sure they settled in before leaving, I briskly walked towards the command room.
When I entered, Mindal and Rathor were talking about something involving large amounts of explosives and I walk past them to stand in front of a small machine filled with test tubes.
As I enter, they stop their conversation and watch me with curious eyes before Rathor asks me what I'm doing.
"Trying to find someone." I explain before using a cotton swab to extract the spit lining the rim of both cups and depositing it in a test tube.
I then insert the tube into the machine, that whirs to life, spinning the tube for several minutes until it gradually comes to a stop.
The machine then beeps, notifying me that it's finished processing the sample and I press a large button labeled transmit.
When I do, the holographic table in the center of the room flashes to life, displaying the topographical map of the globe once more.
The globe stands still for a few seconds, before rotating, causing the northern continent to settle in the center of the display.
It then zooms in abruptly, with mountains and rivers appearing in acute detail until finally, I see what I'm looking for.
I press a button on the screen of the table labeled video feed and real time image appears above the table.
In front of me are two Beast Folk, a man and a woman, looking remarkably similar to the two children now under my employ.
They're standing in a large grassy plane, atop rich soil soaked in blood. Surrounding them are dozens of armored men, wearing orange and green cloaks, and wielding a vast array of primitive, steel weaponry.
The two Beast Folk stand with their backs pressed against each other, facing down the enemy in front of them with determination in their eyes.
The man is tall, with a bear chested body, standing six foot five, and covered in rippling muscles that clenched a great sword tightly within his bloody hands.
The woman is shorter, closer to five foot 11, with a cloak obscuring most of her body, but I could still make out graceful, feminine curves. Her arms were lithe, but thoroughly muscled, and she held a pair of sharp daggers within her hands.
As I made my observations, Mindal and Rathor had joined me at the front of the table and I had hardly noticed until Mindal spoke.
"I'm guessing that those are their parents." He said matter-of-factly to which I nodded in conformation.
"looks like they're in a bit of trouble." Rathor said as he pointed to the display, causing Mindal and I to look at the image again.
The ring of men surrounding the Beast Folk that had previously been still, was now slowly closing in on them.
As soon as a man would get within range of the two, they would instantly have their head separated from their shoulders by either a great sword, or the daggers.
Then suddenly, as if a signal had been given, the men all rushed inwards at once, bringing their weapons to bare on the two.
The first few men were instantly killed by the Beast Kin man, his sword cleaving through a group of five armored men like a knife through butter, but the men kept coming.
One of the men slashed downwards at the man, causing him to dodge and lose his balance before falling to the ground.
As soon as the beast man falls, he's instantly swarmed by dozens of armored foot soldiers vying for a chance to score the kill.
But when it seems like the Beast man is about to meet his end, a sharp ring of steel echoes through the air, and all of the men above the Beast man fall dead to the ground with the Beast woman standing over them.
She grabs the man and lifts him to his feet to begin their defense anew, but it's a lost cause.
Where dozens of men had fallen, twice that number now stood in their place.
Two tired Beast Folk, no matter how skilled, against an army of hundreds of men, was a fight they knew was unwinnable.
Still, they fought on bravely, taking as many men with them as they could.
After witnessing their fighting spirit first hand, I turn to Rathor with a question.
"How far away is this battle?" I say while pointing at the image.
Rathor moves to the LCD panel attached to the table and presses a sequence of buttons, causing the image to be replaced by the topographical map.
He presses another button and a dotted line appears, showing a straight path from our mountain to the battlefield.
"About 200 miles. You'll have to run full speed if you want to reach them in time." Rathor says, knowing full well what I intend to do.
I smile inside my armor and exit the bunker as fast as possible without cracking the concrete under foot.
As soon as I'm out of the bunker and through the fortress gate, I turn my body in the direction of the battlefield and crouch low.
In an instant I leave the ground, throwing up rock and dirt behind me as I catapult my massive body through the air and over the ring of mountains surrounding our base.
I watch as the peaks move below me, and the ground as it approaches, until I land with a massive crash and send debris flying in every direction.
The moment my feet hit the ground, I form spikes that stick into the ground for extra grip, and I rocket off at my full speed, breaking the sound barrier as the air in front of me is pressurized by the sheer force of my body.
As trees, mountains, and hills move past me in a blur, I continue on the direction of the battlefield for close to ten minutes, until I begin to hear the sounds of battle in front of me.
As I crest the final ridge and look for the two Beast Folk, I suddenly realize the image in the command room hadn't captured the full scale of the problem at hand.
On the battlefield below me stood two apposing armies.
On my left was an army of close to a hundred thousand men, all clad in purple and black attire and standing steadfast atop a defensive battlement.
On my right, and surrounding the two beast folk I had been searching for, was an army of equal size and clad in orange and green colors.
The left army was no doubt the Magus Empire, as they were making no effort to rescue to two Beast Folk that desperately fought for their lives.
And I guessed that the right army had to be from the Easter Empire.
Having now surveyed the battlefield I decided to make my move.
I crouched low to the ground once more, digging my spiked feet into the loose soil underfoot, and charged my body at full speed into the mass of thousands of men that surrounded the Beast Folk.
As I break the sound barrier once more, the men start to turn to find the source of the noise, but it's already too late.
Before they can react, my massive body travels through the army like a speeding bullet, melding armor and flesh into one as the force of the impact crumples metal like a sheet of discarded paper.
And then, after only a few seconds, it's over, as I'm left standing next to the two Beast Folk with a path of blood and metal left in my wake.
The men that had all turned to look at the ridgeline when I entered the fray, now snapped their heads to look at the enemy that had just run through hundreds of their fellow soldiers like a swarm of gnats.
As soon as they caught sight of my massive armored form, covered in blood, they shrank back. Now having their confidence shattered and fear sown through their hearts.
The battlefield was now completely silent, with not even a whisper of a breath heard through the blood stained fields.
I turn towards the two Beast Folk, who shrink away from me in fear after suddenly feeling very small.
"I've come here on the behalf of Reka and Shemrin." I say to them as I hold my hand out towards them. "They would very much like to see you again, alive and well."
"Reka sent you?" The woman asked with doubt etched across her face. "What did he pay you to do this?" She finished whiles gesturing towards the destruction I left behind me.
"Nothing." I reply. "I'm simply doing a favor for a new employee."
"Now." I say, noticing the army around us beginning to stir again. "Would you like to stay here and die? Or would you rather see your children again in one piece?"
"I can't exactly say we trust you." The Beast man says as he steps forward. "But I'd say going with you is a better alternative than staying in this hell hole."
I nod and the two beast folk step towards me, but we're interrupted by a voice that calls out from within the army surrounding us.
"You won't be going anywhere."
I turn towards the source of the voice and watch as the army parts in front of me, revealing a tall, thin man, dressed in expensive robes and holding a wooden staff with a large gem embedded within the top.
"After the damage you just caused to my army, I can't let someone like you escape this battlefield alive to serve your Magus puppeteers."
"I don't serve the Magus Empire." I respond. "I simply came here to retrieve these two."
"All the same." Says the man. "Better to take you out now than have you come scratching at our backs later on."
After he finishes speaking, he raises his staff and begins chanting something in a dialect I don't understand despite my translate spell, and before I can react, a bright bolt of electricity shoots out from the end of his staff and impacts my chest, eliciting an feeling that I was not expecting.
Pain.