"My Lord, I have received word from the Knighthood of Talos that they had completed their objective without the Altaerrie noticing their presence. The enemy soldier you wished to capture, Captain Ryder, is currently on a medium-sized Wyvern and heading to Forlace. They should be here within the next few hours.
In addition, Knight Commander Iradiun Rostian had discovered that the Altaerrie were on a diplomatic mission with the nearby villages. The 18th Order had reported that enemy forces were sending out scouts; this confirmed their intentions. We can assume they want to provide strategic depth to defend Salva. I do believe, while not intentional within Talos objective, when the Altaerrie discover one of their own was taken within one of these villages, it will hamper their ability to build friendly relations with the local population, at least temporary." – General Verlcon Korva
March, 9th, 2048 (Military Calendar)
Hiplose Forest, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
Feeling the warmth of the rising yellow sun, Rommel King would generally take a moment to enjoy the majestic sight—a morning routine to help start the day on a positive note. Sadly, this had turned out not to be one of those days.
Hearing Comanche's top NCO lecturing the team regarding the matter at hand, King turned to watch. Many Comanche had their rifles aimed at the villagers, who were clustered around their vehicles for protection.
The exception was the Filipino-American team member Sergeant Marcos Gonzales, sitting in the passenger seat, hands on his head in disbelief. Shockingly, Gonzales was discovered sleeping while his watch, which resulted in their leader, Captain Mathew Ryder, disappearing underneath everyone's noise.
"This is what happens when you get comfortable," Barrett said, staring at each member of Comanche. "Haven't the past few weeks warned you that by making these simple mistakes, the enemy will capitalize on them? You are supposed to be the elite of the elite. We do not make these types of mistakes because this is how you lose your goddamn commander to the enemy. One simple victory that you barely won, and you believe you are invincible? Never again!"
As the Sergeant First Class continued his lecture the Combat Fite Team, Rommel King saw Natilite in the open area with Benjamin Ford and Fraeya. Seeing that Barrett had everything under control, he walked over to them to see what they were investigating. "What are you three doing?"
"The angel lady thinks there was a struggle," Ford stated. "There are multiple footprints around here that are not us or the villagers. Bigger and heavier."
Natilite stood, brushing the mud off her hands and knees. "There are three different footsteps. One was light, being a neko, kitsune, or farian. I cannot tell because of the boots. The other was definitely a vampire based on the size and depth of the footprint. Then there are your people's footprints, being Matthew."
Rommel King closed his eyes as he already knew the direction of this conversation; however, he did not want to admit it. "Just tell me what you are saying."
"That Mathew was targeted," Natilite said. "I do not know who, though."
"You said vampire?" Ford said. "We only know one faction that hates us enough to do something like that."
"But how would they know we are here?" King asked. "And why would they waste their time and energy capturing Matt? How would they know who to capture in the first place?"
"I might know," Fraeya said.
King turned to the elf girl in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Fraeya's ears evened out as she held her arm for comfort. "I mean, I could be wrong."
"It is okay, Fraeya," Ford said, trying to encourage the elf. "Anything helps right now."
"When we were on your world, Ryder fought Kallem," Fraeya said. "I am only free because he fell from above and blocked them from taking me through the Bridge. I know they fought in melee combat, so maybe that is relevant?"
"Would he go this far because of a grudge?" King asked.
Natilite snapped her fingers. "Maybe if you include the battle at Indolass. I hate to say it, but victory was theirs, but your Captain led the charge against the enemy. Maybe Kallem saw this from a seeker and now considers him a threat. Vampires take notice when someone becomes troublesome."
The Warrant Officer wanted to reject the idea; however, his gut couldn't disagree with the elf's logic. Whoever conducted the operation was skilled enough to do this under everyone's noise, like how special forces operate.
"Still," King said. "How did they do this? The odds that they sneaked through when Marcos was asleep are too great of a coincidence."
"It was probably sleep magic," Fraeya said. "Their mage could have put Marcos asleep while sneaking through the village. He could not resist the spell effects depending on the mage's rank."
Natilite turned to the elf girl. "I agree. If they had a mage specializing in that type of magic, then that is how they took Mathew without anyone noticing. They put him to sleep and quietly walked out of there. No one would have noticed until the morning."
"This is definitely Covert Ops," Ford said.
"Agreed," Natilite said. "This had to be conducted by one of the Knighthood. They are like your version of Special Forces or a Hispana Palatini. The only ones I know in the region that could pull this off are Toriffa, which I doubt did this. That means it is most likely their masters, the Verliance Aristocracy."
"How can you be for sure?" King asked.
"I cannot," Natilite said. "I know that the Aristocracy has deployed the Knights of Talos within this region for years to crush the resistance. If I were Kallem and he took an interest in your commander, I would pick them."
As Rommel King reflected on the information the two women had given him, he looked around, and his gut told him not to trust the locals. He saw them staring at his people with fear, a natural reaction when rifles were aimed at them.
Still, he felt like they knew more than they were letting on. Feeling that there had to be more of the situation, the Warrant Officer informed Natilite and Ford to follow the tracks while he took Fraeya and headed to the village elder.
Walking past the crowds and his men, the Warrant Officer headed to his communication specialist, Sergeant Charles Higgins who was staring at a laptop that was on the hood of one of the JLTVs. “Please tell me you found him?” he asked.
“Sorry, Warrant Officer,” Higgins said. “The drone hasn’t picked up his transponder. They must be out of range.”
“Damn,” King mumbled. “Return the Phantom as we will need it for later.”
He then saw the village Elder Roaton talking with one of the females that they saved. He approached and stared down at the Kitsune male. "You will tell me what you know, or you will regret it."
The Elder nodded as if he was expecting this conversation. "Two Vampires and a Neko took your leader. This woman saw the event unfold and informed me soon after."
"You allowed the Verliance Aristocracy to take our Captain, and you were not going to tell us?" King said, struggling to control his anger. "We saved your people under your request."
"And you believe that is enough to throw our lives away?"
"We came with open arms, and you betrayed us."
"You asked us to betray the ruler of these lands," Roaton said. "While I do not prefer the current rulers, I know who the Aristocracy is. I know who the Unity are and what happens when you oppose them. I do not know you. We did not capture or sell your leader to the enemy but chose not to interfere with your matters."
"You can justify as much as you want; the result is the same," King said.
"You are correct," Roaton said. "I choose not to involve my village in matters with strangers of another world."
Fraeya stepped forward. "How could you do this? We were kind to you."
"Your people were kind, yes," Roaton said. "And that is why. This man understands what I mean by that."
The Warrant Officer became frustrated as he understood what the village elder meant. If the roles were reversed, he might have done the same. There was no way the US military would erase their village or at least at this early in the conflict – recalling the war stories of Vietnam. The Aristocracy or the Unity probably would if they found out if they allied with the US. These people would have to take their word that they would protect them from their common enemies.
If the Aristocracy had not taken Ryder, King believed that trust could have been earned between their people; however, the divine did not agree today. Regardless of the practicality of the elder wisdom, he understood that he couldn't allow this upfront to stand.
"We came here seeking friendship; you took that as weakness," King said.
"Exactly," Roaton said. "I know what Kallem will do when he comes here. I do know what the Unity will do if we aid you."
Kurt Forest approached as he overheard the conversation. "But we offered protection."
The Elder turned to the American. "A hollow offer is not a wise offer."
"We killed those who took your people and brought them back," King said. "We proved we can handle ourselves, but you call us hollow?"
Rommel King could see the frustration on the Elder's face. It is a mutual feeling.
"You are not from here. You are not part of this world. I do not know anything about you or your people. You expect me to unquestioningly believe what you tell me in a simple peace gathering? As I said, I know who The Unity and Aristocracy are, but I know nothing about your people. You are a strange people from a strange world with only a single Templar vouching for you. An elf girl who grew up in the city with a shell of a city-state and no surviving nobles of these lands to bless your coming. And you believe that is a good offer to go against the greatest empire who ate on the verge of conquering the world?"
"Fine, I see where you are coming from. That is still no excuse for not informing us earlier. It is a mistake your village will regret. We will return."
Rommel King finished the conversation and headed to his now second-in-command, Sergeant First Class Gregory Barrett.
"What is the plan, sir?" Barrett asked.
"We need to head to high ground to establish radio contact," King said. "I have an uncomfortable report to make."
"And the boss?" Gonzales asked. His mannerisms looked distorted as if he wanted to redeem himself.
Before the Warrant Offer could respond, Natilite and Ford arrived.
"Sir," Ford said. "We found a torched hole in the wall. We followed the tracks up that passageway and found a dozen footprints. They headed east."
"Good job, you two," King said. "Natilite, assuming it was Kallem with a grudge, where would they take him?"
"I cannot know for sure," Natilite said. "I doubt he would take him to the capital as he would want to be close to the front. I assume he would take Ryder to the Fortress city of Forlace. He has been using it to maintain his control over this region."
Natilite the pointed southeast. "The city is in the distance toward the southeast side of the Yuplenia mountains."
Hearing his medic ask again about rescuing the Captain, he knew there was no other choice. The Warrant Officer turned to the medic and said, "Gonzales, it was not your fault. Fraeya says they used a sleeping spell against you and the Captain. There was no way you could have prevented its effects."
He then turned to the rest of Comanche. "We will report in but prepare yourselves for a deep recon in force. We are going after him with or without approval. We roll out now."
*****
Sitting on top of the middle vehicle, Natilite stared into the forest as she thought about what had happened in recent months. The leaves were a mix of yellow and brown as the season started to change from summer to fall. She had always enjoyed the seasonal changes, spring being her favorite, but fall brought new colors also brought joy. At least, that was the case.
With the forest breeze, she looked toward the left and saw three smokestacks in the distance. She wondered what type of settlement it was. Based on the size of the smoke, it was most likely a small town.
The Templar felt the vehicle stop, and she looked down, noticing everyone had stopped and exited the vehicle. She jumped and headed toward Warrant Officer 1 Rommel King, sitting in the missing Captain's seat.
After Rommel King reported to his superiors, Colonel Hackett approved an attempted rescue mission. Three teams were to intercept the enemy Knighthood while another guarded the rear flank. Each team had four vehicles, one of which was a drone cart. The Combat Fire Teams headed off after regrouping with a Ranger resupply mission.
Seeing the man stepping out, she asked, "Why did we stop?"
"We need to refuel," King said. "Need about fifteen minutes to complete the task."
"What do you mean refuel?" Natilite asked.
"Gas, fuel," King said, struggling to respond. "I see the Verliance Aristocracy has vehicles. What do Walkers use to power themselves?"
"A large mana battery," Natilite said. "It is the core for all Magitech. Some things do take aetherium and natural gas, depending on the need. They require recharging if that is the same."
Wallace walked over, carrying a large gas container. "I guess that Were-Car was correct. The electric motor was the evilest engine known to Man."
Rommel King turned, shocked that the man knew a forty-year-old reference. His look informed the Sergeant to focus on the task, and he turned back to the Templar. "We have EV vehicles but have struggled with the battery technology to make them useful. They have proven too much of an energy and resource drain."
"That sounds right," Natilite said. Our Construct motors are energy—and resource-intensive like yours, but that is why you see those glowing barreled storages toward the backs of those Walkers."
"And Amplifiers?" King asked.
"Those too," Natilite said with slight confusion. "Why?"
"So, this is common?"
"Of course. Otherwise, we would not be able to utilize our magitech. Is this a limitation for you?"
"Energy storage has been a problem in our world for decades," King said. I am not an engineer, but I could see many corporations taking an interest in such magitech."
"Well," Natilite said. "If your people help us win the war, maybe we could share technologies."
"Way past my pay grade," King replied. But I bet that offer will be on the table soon. For now, we should focus on the task at hand."
Natilite took a stressful breath. The conversation was refreshing as she learned more about her new allies. One of their motives was to acquire new technology from Alagore. The truth was, she was starting to wonder what wonders they could offer for her world. At least the topic helped keep her mind busy from her humiliating failure.
"Are you okay?" King asked. "Speak what is on your mind."
She turned back to the Warrant Officer. "You could tell?"
"It is my job to know what is happening within the team. Team congestion is my responsibility."
The Templar was impressed by how easily Rommel King took over as team leader. She could see why he and Ryder were friends. They could step up at a moment's notice and were willing to defy orders to at least attempt to rescue their leader.
"I feel guilty for letting the Verliance Aristocracy take your leader. I was right there, talking to him. It was a nice moment, and if I just stayed there, none of this would have happened."
"As I told Gonzales, it was not your fault."
"Yes, it is. I helped bring your people here. You saved me from a life of imprisonment and stood against them with your back against the walls. You allowed me to work with you and guide you. You have already put so much effort in, and in return, I allowed your leader to be taken right under my nose. I am a Templar. I am supposed to be better than that."
"Natilite, shut up," King said.
Baffled by the response, she looked directly at the Comanche second-in-command, which seemed to be the reaction he wanted.
"Now that I have your attention, listen carefully," King said. "I have been his friend for the better part of a decade. Most of us have worked together since the founding of the Minutemen. We had each other's backs both on and off the field. I am the team XO, and one of my responsibilities is protecting my CO. I failed because I allowed myself to be too comfortable. Everyone feels the same way, but the only way to save him is to focus on the task."
"I understand," Natilite said, growing a new respect for the man.
Seeing the Warrant Officer walk away to take care of the refueling process, Natilite saw Fraeya watching Wallace fueling one of the vehicles. The elf girl seemed to focus more on the man's arms than the container, which she found adorable.
Unlike the other JLTVs, this one was very different, as it was manned-driven. It was about the same size, unmanned, with four wheels on each side. The top was flat like the back of a wagon full of supplies, with railings on the sides to keep the unit supplies strapped and secured. In addition, an M250 turret is at the front for self-defense.
What she found the most different was that there was no driver seat for a pilot like the other armored vehicles. According to the Americans, they can either pre-program the cart computer - their version of an Antikythera mechanism - or remotely controlled by a pilot from one of the other vehicles. While the concept of constructs acting independently has existed for generations, the Templar was impressed by the scale their Antikythera mechanism is capable of, allowing for multiple commands for a wide range of uses. This technology exists in Alagore; however, in her experience, it was far more limited to basic, single purpose. While her knowledge of the Unity technology was still limited, she had yet to experience anything on this scale.
While Natilite was impressed by this Altaerrie technology computer's superiority, she wanted to wait until she learned more about it before concluding. The first time meeting these people, this was the first time she believed the lack of magitech in their world was a benefit—this rare advantage over thaumaturgy.
"You call this gas," Fraeya asked as she tried to remain focused.
"That is correct," Wallace said, clearly playing along.
"Then why is it a liquid?" Fraeya asked.
"To piss off the rest of the world with poor grammar," Wallace replied.
"And he is not joking about that," Barrios said as he passed.
Natilite chuckled at the sight. Up to this point, she assumed the Altaerrie were just another type of Lats. While they had many similarities, she expected them to act like the other types of humans. These Altaerrie, however, were far more fun and outgoing than she expected.
While she heard how competitive the nations of Earth were, they were still between the same race, unlike in Alagore. The nonstop competition between the many races could be exhausting, and she wondered why these people were more upbeat.
Seeing Gonzales and Forest carrying water containers toward Fraeya, she overheard a question regarding her magic.
"Fraeya, mind if you fill these up with your water magic?" Gonzales asked.
"You mean hydromancy magic," Fraeya said. "I can, but why do you want me to?"
"We were thinking, why should we waste our drinking water when we could refill these containers with your magic," Forest said.
Fraeya's ears perked with confusion. "That does not make sense. While it is water, it is not safe to drink."
"It is not?" Gonzales said with confusion. "I take it that it is some non-potable water. Distilled, maybe?"
"That sounded like what the teacher said," Fraeya said. "Something about the water's summing makes it unsafe to drink."
As the lecture regarding thaumaturgy continued, Natilite saw Higgins, the ream radioman, calling for the Warrant Officer. Since the refueling process was almost complete, she assumed they would plan for the next stage of their journey.
Rommel King spoke into the radio and then hung up. He grabbed the map and headed toward the hood of the JLTV. Both ranking NCOs, Staff Sergeant Kurt Forest, and Sergeant First Class Gregory Barrett, were approaching. She approached because she knew they would want her insight.
"What is the situation?" Barrett asked.
King rolled out a brown paper map over the hood. The map of the region was well detailed, coming from one of the cartography stores in Salva that the Aristocracy did not raid; however, she quickly learned that these soldiers were not thrilled by the quality. She was always amazed at how a cartographer could draw a map with detail by hand, and if the Americans found this below standard, she wondered what they were used to. However, this was their only regional reference because they were new.
"From what I understand, we are somewhere around this area," King said as he pointed southeast of Salva. "Natilite, where do we need to go?"
Natilite could read the language on the map and pointed toward Forlace, southeast of the Yuplenia Mountain Range. "This is the Fortress city of Forlace. As I said, Ryder will most likely be taken here, but there is no way to know. Kallem would move his war council since he failed to prevent a long war in the region and would do anything to maintain control over these lands."
"How do we know this for sure?" Barret asked.
Natilite pointed off the map, past a river in the bottom right corner. "The Capital of the Verliance Aristocracy is in a different region down here, on the other side of the straits. It would take time to bring Ryder here, and it is far enough that waging a war in this region wouldn't be efficient."
"Point is," King said. "If they take the boss anywhere past Forlace, then we are screwed. Because of that, we will assume Ryder will be taken to the Fortress City until we decide otherwise."
"What about backup?" Forest asked.
"Ghost and Redcoats are assisting us on this operation," King replied. "Viking will stay on this side of the mountain range to provide rearguard."
"And the enemy forces?" Barratt asked.
"Recon has been a pain," King said. "With what little drone recon the 5th could muster, the enemy is bunking around to keep us locked up at Salva. However, if we take this north around here, we should bypass the enemy defensives near Salva. The enemy is still gathering their forces, so we should be able to zip behind and move south without being noticed until we can pass the mountain range."
Krut Forest pointed toward two towns that Comanche would pass. "Maybe we could gain some information here? I understand you tried to recruit one of these cities for your rebellion, Natilite?"
"You are correct," Natilite said. "This was Ellandia, ruled by the Wood Elves. They rejected my proposal, though. They have no loyalty toward the Verliance Aristocracy, but I failed to convince them that the Bridge was real. Maybe we could seek help there?"
"Is that wise?" Fraeya asked in a soft voice. "I mean, after what happened?"
"I hate to say it," Barrett said. "Pointy ears have a point. We should avoid contact on this mission."
"My name is not pointy ears!" Fraeya said.
Seeing the look of confusion, Natilite shook her head. "Barrett. I do not know what an insult on your world is, but for her, that is one."
"I see," Barrett said, staring at the elf girl. "I am sorry. I did not know and only meant in its good humor. I won't repeat it again."
Natilite saw a confused look on Fraeya's face as if she had not expected an apology from soldiers. She turned back to Rommel King to see what he wanted to do.
"I agree with Greg," King said. "We will avoid all towns and villages. Even if one were friendly, it would take one civilian to tip off the enemy of our presence. We are better off alone."
"While I agree," Natilite said. "I do think we need to go to one of these villages or a military camp to find a prisoner. We need some information, or we are going blind."
"That is not ideal, but we will cross that bridge when we get there," King said.
"Once we reach Forlace, we will figure out how to sneak into the city and find our leader."
"Roger that," Barrett said. He studied the map and shook his head. "God, I wish we had an MGRS. I think this is my first time on a mission without one."
"I understand the feeling," Forest said.
"What is an MGRS?" Natilite asked.
"It stands for Military Grid Reference System," King said. "All maps we use on Earth have a grid system; I assume you know what that is."
"Yes, I do," Natilite said.
"Good," King said. "With our MGRS, we can direct our fire support dozens to hundreds of miles away and have them impact the target within a meter of error. It also helps us with navigation, allowing us to know exactly where each other is. While this is an impressive, detailed map, I am planning this operation blind."
"I am impressed," Natilite said. "I have seen the Legion use similar maps, but nothing to that degree."
"Yup," Barrett said. Without it, all fire support is done by either pre-established coordinates or line-of-sight, as the risk of Blue-on-Blue is too significant. We take for granted what we have today. I struggle to imagine how ancient armies marched hundreds of miles with just a map like this."
"This will do for now," King said. "We will be out of radio contact most of the time anyway, so we will have no support."
"We could fire a drone," Forest said.
"No," King replied. We might need them to scout the area when we get close to Forlace or try to make radio contact with Ryder. They proved they could shoot them down, so I don't want to waste those assets yet."
"Any of you have any questions?" King asked. When no one raised any, he continued, "Alright. We move out now."
Seeing Comanche heading to their vehicles, Natilite flexed her wings and jumped, landing on the roof of the center vehicle. Once she sat down and secured herself, she knocked on the roof to signal the driver that she was ready. The convoy started again, advancing.
March, 9th, 2048 (Military Calendar)
Fortress city of Forlace, Verliance Aristocracy
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
Being tossed into the ground, Mathew Ryder felt that hard and cold stone floor of wherever he was. He rolled onto his back as his hands were bound and looked toward the two j'avais who threw him. They were grinning as if they enjoyed causing him pain. "You could have broken my arm tossing me like that. You don't want to face Karen from HR."
The J'avais looked confused before speaking something in an arrogant tone. While Ryder couldn't understand, he could assume it was an insult based on his limited experience with their kind.
The door closed, so he looked around. It was a medium-sized room with a dark red wooden table on one side. There was a mirror above the table and one chain over what looked like a giant patted ring on the floor. This was not a prison cell, as he was expecting.
The structure looked closer to a medieval castle he had seen in Europe; however, it did not look primitive. The room had lights like those in the early nineteen hundreds. The expectation was that there were crystals besides glass bulbs; they were crystals. He could see ventilation within the walls, which provided heat based on the room's warmth. That only meant that there were pipes in the walls.
Hearing nothing but silence, this was the first time he was alone. Blindfolded during the journey here and stripped of his equipment, he could only assume he was taken by the enemy and at one of their major Forward Operation Bases. Where he was, the Captain had yet to learn. All he knew was that whoever took him flew him to this castle. It sounded like a flying beast, making him wonder if it was some dragon.
What he did know was that he was in his olive-green underclothing. The enemy had stripped him of his armor and equipment while he was knocked out by whatever spell that mage used.
On the dark red table, Ryder noticed a bowl. After rolling onto his feet, he approached the table and saw what looked like water. With everything he had seen about this world, he was unsure if it was water, but he was so dehydrated that he didn't care.
Unable to use his hands to grab the bowl, he ducked down and took a sip, testing the liquid. Tasking like water, he drank as much as he could.
Once Ryder drank what he could, he stepped back and felt slightly refreshed. That was when he heard the door open and saw three vampires enter the room. "Hey, boys. Nice place, but I have to say, room service sucks. Mind if I speak with the manager?"
"Humor?" the lead Vampire said. "It's a trait I was not expecting with your kind."
Ryder was stunned that the Vampire could understand him. He then noticed that the Vampire had a translation amulet in his hand. "I see. Well, if you were looking for someone of value, I am not it."
The Vampire entered the room, stopping right under a chandelier. He took the amulet and screwed it into the center of it. "It seems that you do not know the weight of your situation. We have your people from before. Many of which were your leaders and wise sages."
One of the other Vampires, a man in armor, followed behind, grabbing the Captain and forcing him to his knees.
"So," Ryder said. "You want me as a trophy husband? I am flattered, but I am already married. I am not the cheating type."
"Fascinating," the Vampire said. "You babble nonsense, yet you have not discovered who you speak to."
Ryder felt that something was off. Someone about this Vampire seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "When you speak nonsense, you won't get put behind a desk."
The Vampire stopped in front of Ryder, staring down at him. The man was half a foot taller than the Captain, and while clothed, he could tell that this Vampire was physically more robust and not afraid of him.
"You do not remember me, do you?"
Ryder decided to remain silent this time, realizing this was more than taking a US officer. This was not an operation to capture an enemy soldier for information. For some reason, this was personal.
"Silence now. Interesting. You play with words to create a false mask of yourself, hoping to misdirect those speaking to you until the situation is more favorable."
Ryder lay there confused, thinking about what the Vampire said. He expected his mentor, Colonel William Hackett, to say this, not from a tall purple alien.
"You might have forgotten me, but I have not forgotten you."
Ryder looked up and stared at the Vampire's maroon eyes. Then, a memory flashed of him at the NASA facility of a Vampire standing on the Bridge platform, staring at him before retreating through the ancient alien device. "You are Kallem?"
The Vampire smirked, staring directly into Altaerrie's eyes. "You finally remembered our encounter."
"You done all this because you are upset about that fight?"
"Of course not," Kallem said. "I defeated you then and could defeat you in any encounter. However, I will not allow you to ruin my battles."
It took a moment for the Captain to understand what the Vampire lord meant. While the Vampire beat him in their first encounter, he had no idea what he was getting into. Ryder did prevent the enemy from taking Fraeya; however, it was clear that the male elf was the bigger prize. While they did not fight directly during the Second Battle of Indolass, he assumed that Kallem's victory was stolen from their counterattack, which turned the battle from a near defeat to a victory.
The consequences of that battle from the enemy's point of view did not cross his mind. Such a defeat when victory was seconds away would be harsh. While small, Americans now have a beachhead in this world. He could only imagine the internal politics of the situation.
"I take it your masters were unhappy with your recent failures?" Ryder said. "I would say I am sorry about that. If you let me go, I promise to be more inclusive in future battles, so I don't embarrass you."
The Lord of Verliance turned to the Comanche Captain and remained silent. He only stared.
Seeing the burning red eyes, Ryder thought his insults did not affect the Vampire Lord. Only then did he realize the silence wasn't out of strength but that he had struck a nerve. The defeat did hit the Vampire hard. Besides lashing out as he hopped, the Lord maintained his discipline.
Seeing the Vampire Lord sign, the guard knocked Ryder onto the floor, to which his face smacked against the mat.
Feeling the pain from his nose, he rose from the ground and back onto his knees. Seeing blood on the mat where his face was, he could feel it dripping onto his mouth.
"I do not believe you understand the full gravity of what is upon you. We will finish our fight from Earth and determine which world produces the best warriors. But first, I will learn what I want from you."
"You want to do the Last Samuir thing? Have I spent a year hanging out and learning your ways for an honorable dual? Learning the heart of the warrior?"
Kallem stared down at the Captain as he raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. "You listen to too many tales."
Hearing someone else enter the chamber, Ryrder saw a female vampire. Unlike the two males with darker purple skin, she had smooth, light purple, long red hair. She wore a long rod with a white base and golden lacing. The half-top was three different colors: red, blue, and green.
"This is Celeste," Kallem said. "She is a Priestess of the Temple of Enlightenment from our Temple."
"Your Temple?" Ryder said. "I know the Unity forced you to disband all your Temples to Tekali and switch religions." He then turned to the female Vampire. "One who surrenders their faith because of the sword is no faithful to begin with."
"Celeste."
The female Vampire placed her hand tightly on Ryder's head. Before he could inquire what was happening, he felt as if a door opened to his mind, and someone was entering. The Captain struggled to describe the feeling as something he had never experienced. All he could do was stare at the woman's crystal-white eyes as she stared at him.
"As I attempted to explain, Celeste is a Priestess of the new religion, the Katra. She is a Master Intellectuia Mage, an expert in the arts of mind spells. Until I decide to kill you, she will venture through your mind for valuable information."
At first, Ryder fought back as the woman entered his mind. She was at the end of a long hallway, trying to open a door. He wished he could say that he could stop her or delay her for a respectable amount of time. However, she broke the lock handle with ease and entered.
The next moment, he found himself in the Mexican State of Sonora, near Caborca, where he was a Sergeant in the 101st Air Assault Division during the later stages of the Cartel Wars. His squad was part of an operation hunting down a group responsible for the assassination of the Arizona Governor. Joined by the Mexican Army, he remembered the campaign's intensity as they fought street by street. Seeing the brutal actions by the Cartel and certain types of NGOs' treatment of civilians and statements but, more importantly, firsthand witness of their trafficking operations of people and drugs, he realized that the military was more than just a job, but a responsibility to stop men like these.
The buildings and people became ashes as a bright light consumed the landmass. The next thing Ryder saw was Celeste's white eyes staring at him with a thrilled smirk as it seemed she got what she wanted.
"This was easier than I expected," Celeste said, pulling her hand off the Captain's head. "Insecurity and doubt are always a man's weakness."
The woman then turned to her lord and said, "My Lord, I was able to grab a memory fragment of his time on his homeworld. I think, his early warrior years. I will need more time to extract fragments to find your desired information."
After Ryder shook his head to remove the fuzziness, he stared at the woman with disdain, realizing she had used him without effort. First, he was knocked out by a simple sleeping spell, and now, he had been mined probed. What really ticked him off though was her insult.
"Anything of note?" Kallem asked.
"Only a little," Celeste replied. "His story is normal because of deeper insecurities. The Knighthood he belongs to is called the Minutemen, and his unit is the Comanche. Salva is being heavily fortified for a long siege. But more importantly, their attempts to recruit local forces have failed."
"As I expected," Kallem said.
"Is that why you brought me here, Kallem?" Ryder said. "Mind games? I knew you were a coward."
"Big mistake," Celeste said. "I saw all of your failures. What kind of man would abandon his wife the way you did."
Seeing that smirk, Ryder could tell that she knew exactly how to press his buttons. Summon the strength; the Comanche warrior rammed toward her.
The Vampire woman's eyes went from confident superiority to fear. However, Ryder failed to impact her as the guard grabbed his arm, tossing him back onto the mat with such force.
"Calm yourselves," Kallem said.
Ryder looked up and saw the guard's boot. For some reason, the Vampire Lord prevented the man from stopping him.
"To answer your question, Captain," Kallem said. "I did not bring you here just to read your mind. Besides the fact that it would be responsible not to discover what you know about your people, I wished to understand you before we fight."
"And yet, I only know your birthday and social security." To Ryder's surprise, the guard lifted him back onto his feat.
"Heal him," Kallem demanded.
"My, Lord?" Celeste said with a shocked tone. Her Lord only glanced at her, and she quickly obeyed his command.
She placed her hand on his chest, and he felt part of his body warm as her hand glowed. The pain and exhaustion slowly faded, and his body felt renewed, like waking after a good sleep. This only confused the Captain more, as he did not understand why they would heal him. But then he saw Kallem staring at him with confidence and determination in his eyes.
"You wish to know my story," Kallem said. He then took off his robe and stood shirtless before the Comanche Captain. "Captain of the Altaerrie. You must earn it before your death."