-4-

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Tense was the only word that sprung to mind to describe the atmosphere tonight.

The command tent was filled with the senior members of our broken republic. Hailey called for this assembly after bringing Julius and I up to speed about the camp over dinner. We went over some light details on my plan to retake the city of Tolin, and she insisted that she bring everyone important in.

All of those ‘everyones’ were now making hushed small talk while we waited for Hailey and Mitchell to show up. They had left a few minutes ago to get one final person, who they insisted should attend because she had helped solve some important issues in the camp.

I recognized almost everyone in the room, save a few members of Hailey's divisionals in attendance.

Standing around the central table were two members of the Consulate Court, Yenifer Lewis and Liam Byrant. Along with them were four Ministers, Jacob Hay, the Minister of Agriculture. Hannah Fuller, Minister of Justice. Yuji Tsuki, Minister of Health. Ridwan Bashir, Minister of State.

These were the same people in the meeting that our arrival interrupted...

Whoops.

Not like the Consul ever gets much done anyway, So I was sure it made no meaningful difference that we pushed their meeting back.

Scattered around the rest of the room were a few members of Mitchell’s scouting party, Mei Devins, Aeko Monroe, and Murphy Pearson. Hanna Vynn was also present, though she looked disinterested and had found a seat along the back wall and was chatting with some other people I didn’t know.

A silence fell over the room as Hailey returned. She and Mitchell entered with a small girl following behind them. I couldn’t really see her from across the room, her head was down and her face was obscured by a hooded cloak. Mitchell and the mystery girl stopped just past the entryway and a small group of heavily armored guards took position just behind him, preventing any entrance to the tent.

Or exit, for that matter.

Hailey took her place at the head of the table and made an announcement.

"This call-to-order is designated as highly-restricted. All members are sworn to keep any details discussed here to themselves."

She kept her serious demeanor and continued, "Anyone who does not adhere to this will be punished under Divisional Doctrine judication to the highest degree."

She relaxed her shoulders and took a deep breath, "I understand that some members here are not fully familiar with Divisional practices and the restrictive lifestyle that comes with our service. But these are times of great strife and to maintain order all of you are going to have to learn quick and follow orders."

That last part was aimed at the consulate and other civilian members in attendance.

She took her seat and placed her arms in her lap, "With that out of the way, please be seated. At ease."

I took a seat next to Hailey. Julius took one across from me, facing the tent’s entrance.

Hailey gave me a glance before beginning again, "Some of you may have been present when she first arrived, but I’d like to formally acknowledge the presence of Commander Airis Vanixi—"

A loud clatter rang out as something metal hit the floor, followed by a loud gasp of surprise.

I turned around to find the source of the interruption. The small girl that had arrived with Hailey and Mitchell was pushing her way through the crowd. Two of the guards started to move to prevent her from reaching us, but Mitchell stopped them.

In all the commotion, her hood had fallen down. Beautiful long crimson red hair came down around her. The same crimson red as my own hair. My eyes shot up to look at her face, staring back at me was my younger sister, Rias. Without another thought I was on my feet. My chair crashed to the floor behind me.

"Airis!" the girl called out. She collapsed into me and I wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Rias!? How are you here? When did you get here? Are you okay?"

My questions were fired in rapid succession, with no time between them to let Rias respond. I turned quickly on my heel to face Hailey.

"Why didn’t anyone tell me my sister was here—didn’t you think that this would be something important!?"

Hailey’s expression looked like she was caught by surprise as much as I was. Her hands came up quickly in defense.

"Hey, whoa—I, no—We had no clue she was your sister!" she turned to look at Mitchell for help, "Right Luke!? Tell her we didn’t know!"

Mitchell frantically clambered up from his seat. His arms flailed about as he tried to point at Rias and Hailey.

"Listen, Commander Airis, we had no idea. Rias turned up at the old outpost with some others in a refugee caravan. We were packing the supplies and she mentioned that she had a background in alchemy. I asked her to help take down the alchemical workshop and set it back up, here at the camp."

Rias was still clinging on to me, and in between a few soft cries I could hear her muffled voice, "Luke and Hailey took me in. I didn’t really know who to trust—So I never told anyone who I was, just my name."

My mind was racing. My first thoughts were ones of relief—but then I regained some focus and realized we were still in the middle of a command meeting.

Oh little sister, I was worried about you. But you’re safe. Praise the Celestials.

Honestly, I had expected the worst. None of us knew if anyone who was left behind was safe or not. If Rias made it here, I wondered where our mother ended up…

I shook my head.

I relaxed my death gaze and got my mind back in the moment. The members of the assembly were all sitting here watching my family drama unfold. I could interrogate Mitchell and Hailey later.

With Rias still clutching to me, I turned us around so I’d be facing the meeting members. Rias was shorter than I was by a fair amount. Though I’m pretty sure she grew an inch or two since I last saw her. She was about the same height as Hailey now.

"My apologies for the drama. Consulates and Ministers, it is good to see you all again. Commander Brooks has briefed me on the status of the camp and your varied concerns and recommendations."

"To get this assembly back on track, I’ll take over for a moment if you don’t mind Airis."

I nodded, "All yours, Hailey."

Hailey clapped her hands together and everyone’s attention snapped from Rias and I, to her.

"Okay. Listen up everybody! As of tonight, Commander Airis Vanixi is formally recognized by myself and the members of the Consulate as the acting High-Regent. Effective immediately she will be recognized as the High-Commander of the Vanixian Republic."

The Divisional soldiers stood at attention and saluted, arms tight across their chest. The abruptness of it startled Rias and she tightened her grip on me. I placed a hand on her head and held her close.

"At ease everyone, please. Let’s keep the formalities limited for now so we can get through this expeditiously."

Hailey continued on, "Tomorrow morning all sectors are ordered to start breakdown procedures. As I said before, this is restricted information and you are only authorized to disclose details to those with proper clearances. With that said, Ministers and any Divisionals below the rank of Knight are clear to leave."

‘Clear to leave’, was just a polite way of saying ‘you’re not allowed to stay for the rest of the meeting’.

All members who were ‘cleared to leave’ left the command tent, leaving the Consulate members, Mitchell’s scouting party, Hanna, and the few other soldiers I wasn’t familiar with yet.

I shuffle-walked Rias to an empty seat near mine and sat her down. I sat down and looked at Julius, who was now giving me a stupid look.

Oh good, I can’t wait to hear what sarcastic and dumb things he has to say about all of this.

With the remaining group seated and attentive, I began, "Here’s the deal, we’re all keen to stay alive. Nobody here is looking to sign up for a suicide mission like mounting an attack on Axio. We need to get reorganized and resupplied. Our aim right now is to get a permanent base of operations and get our footing back…"

I let my declaration settle for everyone, and then dropped the bomb, "Our goal for a permanent base, is the old Empire’s port city of Tolin, in the south."

A rush of jumbled words came as everyone had something to say all at once. I raised my arm and the table quieted down.

"I’m aware of the stigma surrounding the city. I also acknowledge the concerns of moving into territory that fell under the Apocalypse. But we do not have another option. You’ve seen the state of things here. We cannot survive in the camp another month. There are no other options, there are no other places for us to go."

I brought out my map and laid it out on the table. I had scrawled a basic route to Tolin, detailing the mountain pass and the vast expanse of the Southern Plains.

"I doubt anyone here was around when Tolin fell, but it’s not a simple history. Those of us who are alumni of VxA know the bare details, but my father had a special interest in the city."

Special interest indeed…

My father said that the fall of Tolin was the fulcrum that gave way to the fall of our Empire as we knew it, which ultimately led to the formation of the three republic Triumvirate government in Axio.

Rias had a pained look on her face at the mention of our father, but I continued on, "It is a nightmare-level kind of history. I know Tolin is large enough to house a group our size, and would have the infrastructure we need to get back into the fight fast."

"Nightmare status is putting it lightly, High-Regent." a woman spoke up. Mei Devins, one of Knight-Lieutenant Mitchell’s team members. She continued, "We’re talking about a city that fell in a single night. The population was decimated by monsters called ‘Terror Demons’, and that name doesn’t give them the due they deserve."

"You’re right. But with any luck in the forty-plus years since the city fell, those demons have moved on and an all-out assault isn’t going to be necessary."

Julius cut in, "Even if there is some sort of monster presence in the city, we’ll be prepared. When Tolin fell, humanity had barely a single skirmish with monsters. The Divisional Armies were created as a response to that threat. Airis and I propose the forming of a vanguard party with our best people. With the addition of supportive parties we can form a coalition force and take on whatever horrors may face us."

I gave Hailey a nod and she stood, "I’m ordering the disbandment of scouting parties seven and twelve. Mei and Luke of scouting party seven, and Alcotts and Jameson of scouting party twelve will be redeployed to the Vanguard team. Along with myself, High-Protector Julius, and High-Commander Airis."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Devins, Alcotts and Jameson had been introduced to Julius and I before the meeting started.

Crusader Mei Devins was a seasoned veteran. A half-elven oddity, her father was a citizen of the Empire, her mother was an Aestori, a race of elves that lived within the Empire whose name translated to Starfallen. Although easily over one-hundred years old, she was youthful in appearance. I found myself distracted by her beauty more than once. Her porcelain skin and silky violet hair framed a slender face and long ears in a way that made her look like a sculptured masterpiece.

Crusader Alistaire Alcotts was very personable. He greeted both of us with enthusiasm. He looked young, in his early twenties, with a mess of reddish-orange hair on his head. His features were soft, and unmistakably foreign. The most striking of which were his eyes, I couldn’t help but be smitten with them: green on the right, red to the left.

His presence was a quandary to be sure, but if Hanna and Hailey trusted him then so would I.

Crusader Soren Jameson’s personality was the polar opposite of Alcotts. He was incredibly shy and reserved, Alcotts did most of the talking for him. He looked younger than his partner, but the way he carried himself gave an air of maturity. His hair was styled short around the front and sides, coming together into a long tail in the back.

Julius’ took the next turn to speak, "I will take the role of Initiator, as I’m the only one in the party with a guardian specialty. Airis will take on the Operator role, and uniquely as a hybrid specialization she will assist Hailey in healing, while also keeping her protected with some newly acquired blade skills."

He continued, "Luke will be our Field Monitor, he’s the only one with a rogue specialization that can track enemy movements and watch for traps or ambushes. Alcotts and Jameson, you are both with me. As you’re both Warriors, you will switch out with each other during combat to keep your cycle times low. If anything happens to take us by surprise we’ll always have one of you ready to resolve it."

Both warriors gave Julius an odd look.

"What about that isn’t clear? Address it now so we don’t have misunderstandings later." Julius said bluntly.

They both sat there, silently, as their faces turned more red.

Alcotts was the one to speak up, "I don’t believe either of us have heard the term ‘switch out’. Would you explain that, High-Protector?"

Jameson nodded his head in agreement with his partner.

Since neither of them were officers, they wouldn’t have attended VxA. It makes sense they maybe wouldn’t be familiar with the terms… But they have to had someone managing combat cycles on their previous team.

Julius had already started explaining the overall concept to them before I had a chance to ask about their last party.

“I understand. During combat, your STAMINA will decrease the longer you stay engaged with an enemy. That is referred to as a combat cycle. Typically once your STAMINA is past a certain point you will begin to suffer short-lived penalties. If it hits zero, you’ll start to gain long-term fatigue. And if you continue fighting after you’ve starting stacking fatigue effects, you may fall unconscious… or worse."

Julius tapped his wrist and his rune lit up, the space above the table filled with aetheric mist. A visual depiction of a STAMINA bar was projected onto the mist.

"Anyone with an OVERSIGHT skill, like Airis,” he pointed a finger at me, “can see a party member’s stamina gauge. She can watch these during combat and could call out for members to switch places in a fight."

He placed his finger over the rune and the mists dispersed.

"Cycles prevent either of you from suffering any penalties, and it will also ensure that one of you is always un-engaged to address any unexpected issues. Make sense?"

Both Jameson and Alcotts nodded. Alcotts leaned into Jameson and whispered something in his ear. The timid warriors eyes lit up and he let out an ‘ahhhh’.

As I suspected, they had been doing this already but didn’t understand Julius’ use of phrase. I allowed the brief doubt in Hanna’s party forming abilities to fade away.

Julius continued his assignments review. "Lastly, Devins. As a ranger specialty you’re going to be responsible for keeping pressure on targets Luke calls out. As I understand from Hailey, you have an Eagle companion, correct?"

Devins stepped into view from a place in the back of the room.

"That is correct. Her name is Valiance, she's a ebonfeather eagle. She has a STEALTH skill, as well as a MARK TARGET passive ability."

Whoa, that's one special companion.

Now I was curious. I missed whatever conversation Julius may have had with Hailey about that. I interrupted Julius before he could continue ahead,

"An ebonfeather eagle? That’s incredible. Would you mind telling me how you managed to tame such a rare animal?"

The elven ranger shook her head.

"I did not tame her. She is my paerir. A soulmate from the day we were brought forth to this world. In the Starfall Forest I was raised as a sylvae caetos. A forest guardian. This is quite common."

Julius and I both exchanged looks.

Was he impressed?

His normal stone-face demeanor had been shaken a little, his eyes had widened slightly.

"That’s… quite something. Thank you." I set my whole attention to Julius, "Is there anything else you wanted to add, or are we all set?"

"I think we’re all set. The last thing is," Julius pointed at the other soldiers at the table, "You will get party assignments tonight after I finish unit inspections."

Hailey pointed at Hanna, "Hanna, you’re going to be the acting outpost commander once we get a foothold at Tolin. I trust you to keep things orderly while we’re busy."

Hanna gave a salute and a head bow in response.

I tapped my rune and brought up a party interface and added my new party members.

Julius had gotten the team recommendations from Mitchell while they were preparing our tent earlier. I trusted his judgment, we’re going to succeed at this.

Hailey dismissed everyone and they filed out of the command tent.

Rias had fallen asleep during our meeting. I gently shook her awake, and arm-in-arm with my sleepy eyed sister I let Julius lead us to our tent.

It wasn’t as big as the command tent, but it was noticeably larger than the other tents in the camp. It stood next to two other tents of equal size, Hailey’s and then Mitchell and Hanna’s.

I tucked Rias into my bed under a pile of warm blankets, she was back to sleep in seconds.

"Don’t think just because you’re giving up your bed to your sister that you get to steal my bed away from me." Julius joked dryly, his voice low, almost a whisper.

"You’d force your High-Regent to sleep out in the cold?"

"I would do exactly that."

"Ruuude.” I returned in a melodramatic way, “Well it doesn’t matter anyway. I wasn’t planning to kick you from your bed. Rias turns into an ice block when she sleeps, and I radiate heat like an over-stoked hearth. We’re a match made by the Celestials. So, you’ll get your bed all to yourself just like you wanted."

"Fantastic," Julius wore his trademark smirk wide across his face, "I won’t have to worry about coming back and finding out I’m out of a bed to sleep in." His smirk dropped and was replaced with his other trademark face, seriousness, "I’ll be out inspecting the Divisionals and coordinating the party formations tonight. Don’t wait up for me."

"Take it easy on them, Julius. It’s been a rough two weeks for everyone. Don’t get bent out of shape if their beds aren’t made with tight corner sheets."

"You got it, High-Regent."

A deep drawn-out yawn escaped me.

I am going to collapse in this bed and sleep forever. Today has been the longest day imaginable. Julius almost died...

----------------------------------------

As thoughts of sleep tip-toed through my mind, Hailey’s head poked in through the tent and any chances of getting to bed were swept away.

"Oh! Good, you’re not sleeping yet. Come out here, I have something for you."

I stepped outside slowly, each step heavy with a paralytic nervousness.

She handed me a glass bottle and pleaded, "Come on, have a drink with me."

I looked down at the bottle in my hands. It was semi-opaque, but I could make out the label and pinkish color of the liquid inside. It was a brand of sweet rosé from Axio, Starfury Rubrum Reserve. It was my favorite kind, and only available in the winter from a few merchants.

A wave of emotions crashed down on me. After the day we’d been through I was barely hanging on. A swell of tears threatened to break through my façade.

Hailey inched closer as she waited for a response. Anxiety wriggled its way into my nerves. I didn’t know what to say.

I want to spend time with her, but being near her makes me anxious.

"I know you’ve had a rough day. A rough few weeks, even… So I brought you your favorite wine." Her smile beamed up at me.

My heart skipped.

She knew it was my favorite wine?

Hailey grabbed my hand and my heart started racing.

She led me back to her tent—rather, what I thought was her tent. As I was dragged in behind her, we were met by a very surprised Mitchell and Hanna.

"Look who I found!" Hailey sang out.

Hanna let out a little yelp at the sudden intrusion. "Hailey! What are you doing? It’s late and we’re exhausted."

"We’re drinking, to celebrate Airis’ return from the dead…" She paused, tapping her chin in thought, "annnnd the reunion of two sisters, and to… the new High-Regent!"

Her words were drawn out and a little slurred.

"I get the feeling that you may have started celebrating before us." Mitchell let out a chuckle.

Hailey shushed Mitchell and plopped herself down on the edge of the bed. She pulled out two more bottles from a satchel, hidden under her cloak.

When did Hailey become so rebellious?

I let out a nervous laugh and took a drink from my bottle. The sparkling wine’s fruity aroma was captivating. A perfect distraction to calm my nerves.

“Have I ever told you about the day Airis and I met?” Hailey was leaning towards Mitchell, but looking at Hanna.

Mitchell’s reply was soft, like the tone you’d take with a child, “Often. But we’d never tire of it, Hailey.”

“Good!” Hailey shot up energetically, “Because it’s my favorite story. But I want Airis to tell it this time!” She flopped back onto the bed. Smiling wildly at me, she patted her hand down next to her.

What in the Aether? When did I get demoted to story teller?

I took another swig out of my bottle and settled down next to Hailey.

“Sooo… Where to start?”

“Tell them about the coin thing!”

My hand came to rest against my face.

The coin thing. Oh by the Celestials I had forgotten that I had done that.

Awkwardly I started, “I had just been told my class assignment after aptitude testing. The Magister led me to an empty classroom and told me to take a seat, but I didn’t know where I wanted to sit.”

I shook my head in shame and laughed, “So a few minutes pass by and another girl is dropped off at the classroom.” I glanced over to Hailey, who was grinning ear to ear. “I asked her if she wanted to take a chance on where we’d sit.”

I pulled my coin out from my pocket.

Hailey burst out an excited squeal, “That’s the coin! Oh wow, I didn’t expect you to have it with you.”

Her attention was captivated by the coin.

“I told her that we could flip a coin, we’d each call a side, and whichever side came up got to pick where we sat. I called tails—“

“But I wanted tails! So she let me have tails.”

“And I let Hailey have tails.”

I flipped my coin up into the air. The dull lantern light in the tent didn’t give it much of a sparkle, and it fell back to my hand unceremoniously. I quickly capped the back of my hand with my other.

My three drinking companions watched as I pulled my hand back.

“And I won!” Hailey exclaimed as the crimson-red wings of a phoenix glinted lightly.

“Hailey chose the two front and center seats… And we had to deal with being picked on by the Magister for the rest of the year.”

“I apologized everyday, I felt so bad. It was a nightmare. That Magister did not like us at all!”

“Her excuse was that she was so excited to learn about magick that she didn’t want to miss a thing.”

Hanna and Mitchell broke out into light laughter while Hailey pouted.

“I was excited about magick…”

We traded off telling stories of our time at VxA together. I finished off my bottle of Starfury and was presented with a second bottle, from Hailey’s secret cloak stash.