• Date: September 30, 2173


  
• Time: 9:15 AM


  
• Location: Udel Village


  

  When the hero and his allies reached the ruined settlement. They immediately took shelter in the chapel. In the distance, the Kaynian Device, now functional, was funneling in alien combatants to the surface of the Elven World, Eldrant. Kaynian Guardians, Knights, Paladins, and Warlocks exited the portal. A grand total of three hundred invaders appeared in seconds.

  [Tale, I'm reading multiple alien hostiles exiting the slip space portal!]

  ''How many?''

  [At least three hundred...]

  [...New contact detected! It's a sentinel!]

  Emerging out of the portal was a sixty-meter-tall Class III Kaynian Sentinel. A powerful siege engine armed with energy cannons on their arms, shoulders, or back. However, this sentinel before them had four energy cannons, one on each arm and shoulder. At the sight of the alien siege engine, Ghost Operative Tale gripped his battle machine rifle tightly, knowing their odds of winning were impossible.

  ''They're finally here.''

  [What's the plan?]

  Turning to her partner, Vee wondered what action they should take. After all, their hated foe had brought over reinforcements to invade Eldrant. In return, the operative turned to the blade spirit to give an order.

  ''Sarroth, tell the Javelin that she's free to engage the Kaynians. We need her to soften them up for our engagement with them.''

  The blade spirit immediately heeded the command of her master. It wouldn't be long until she tapped into the communication orb on board the Javelot. Utilizing her magic, she sent her master's order via telepathy magic.

  {Captain Pouvoir, an immediate bombardment on invaders is permitted. You are free to engage.}

  ''Understood, milady. We'll be commencing our attack.''

  {Master Tale, the bombardment is on its way.}

  Immediately, the light frigate's turrets redirected on the Kaynians underneath the alien structure. All six of its mass drivers charged with magic as it aimed before Weapons Officer Hermione gave the command. Hypersonic projectiles exited the barrel and flew directedly at the invaders. However, it wouldn't hit its mark as the sentinel protected its fellow Kaynians from the airship's salvo. Afterward, a massive shockwave occurred as the unstoppable force met an immovable object, a hypersonic projectile impacting alien shielding. Staring shocked, Captain Pouvoir was horrified that the salvo fired couldn't penetrate the invader's shields. All of a sudden, everyone heard an all too familiar humming. It was coming from the siege engine and could only mean one thing.

  [Tale, I'm reading energy signatures rising on that sentinel...]

  [...It's going to fire its arm cannons at the Javelot!]

  ''Sarroth! Warn them now!''

  But it was too late; the sentinel retaliated. Its arm cannons fired energy beams that tore through the Javelot's magic shield and melted its hull. The light frigate couldn't withstand the overwhelming firepower and succumbed to the damage. Meanwhile, the elves of Tip of the Spear watched as the airship slowly crashed to the ground before erupting in a massive explosion.

  {ENS Javelot, please respond!}

  ''Sarroth, the light frigate is gone...''

  ''...Conserve your magic.''

  {But-}

  ''There are no survivors on that airship.''

  Staring at her master, the Former Queen wondered what plan or action they would take now. With their hated foe receiving reinforcements, it would prove a challenge for them to protect Eldrant. However, she couldn't lose confidence. After all, she had seen her master's species have fought the Kaynians and won.

  {What do we do, master?}

  "We'll reassess our resources: magic, weapons, and defenses. Our new objective is to hold the Kaynians back until reinforcements arrive from Her Majesty."

  {Though we are outnumbered.}

  ''Hence, why will be smart about our defense...''

  ''...Vee, what do you have from the Kaynian comms?''

  The artificial intelligence summoned her avatar and projected images detailing the alien invaders, including their numbers, troop composition, and positions. Sharing the information with everyone, Vee presented it to everyone within the household that they were hiding.

  [Based on my observations, the Kaynian reinforcements that arrived here consist of approximately three hundred troops. They seem confused about their location, which we can use to our advantage...]

  [...And, if you haven't noticed, the wormhole has decreased in size.]

  Vee then presented the Kaynian Device and its shrinking wormhole. Noticing the development before them, Spear Two and Priestess Lumiere focused intently on the projection. Everyone had one question: how to handle three hundred Kaynians.

  ''If I may ask, Lady Vee. How do we stand against a force of three hundred?''

  [Simple Spear Two, we don't.]

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  ''Pardon?''

  [I'm kidding! But if you think about it, we wouldn't be able to stand a chance against them.]

  The artificial intelligence admitted, and everyone agreed with her. The entirety of Tip of the Spear was just them. The commander was gone, and Spear Three and Four were gone. The former was killed by the Kaynian Lord, and the latter was onboard the destroyed airship. This was a hopeless attempt at stalling the invaders for reinforcement.

  [But I do have an idea of how we can turn this thing around.]

  ''Elaborate.''

  [Did you know during the Kaynian Invasion of Mars. That one of I.C.E.'s potent operatives successfully conducted a mass killing of alien combatants?]

  ''Ghost Team Cloak and Dagger.''

  Tale knew where his partner was headed. Cloak and Dagger was a team composed solely of second-generation Ghost Operatives, making them one of I.C.E.'s favorites. They had been instrumental in evacuating civilians on the red planet. However, like everyone who fought there, they were soon classified as killed in action.

  ''You think we can do the same here?''

  [Yep! It's a gamble, of course, but it's the only option we currently have. Luckily for us, I possess the Kaynian Lord's I.F.F. I could impersonate him and bring a small group of Kaynian troops here in the village.]

  ''Slowly cutting down their numbers. That could work...''

  ''...How much time do you need to begin?''

  [I could do it now if you like.]

  ''Very well, proceed.''

  TALE: Hero of Eldrant

  Arriving at the ruined settlement was a squad of eight guardians. Their purpose was to scout the land surrounding them after their arrival on this alien world. However, unbeknownst to them, as they entered. They were already in the sights of the defending members of Tip of the Spear. Invisible to the naked eye via magic, they eagerly waited for the Ghost Operative's word.

  "Tōd?lae, sēceae t?t ēaland!"

  One of the guardians shouted as he and his fellow Kaynians decided to scatter in pairs. Obviously, they were searching for something, but little did they know they were walking into a trap. Ignorant about the invisible silhouettes hiding within the ruined structures of the village.

  "Lēodtēowa, nis nāht- Ack!''

  Killing the alien was a hail of fifty caliber rounds punching through his passive energy shield and penetrating his armor plate. After gunning down his first target, Tale swiftly directed his sights at the accompanying ally of the guardian before gunning him down. However, their sudden deaths would be noticed as the rest would hear the loud bangs of a weapon being fired.

  ''Tangos down. Moving into the next position...''

  ''...Sarroth, give the word.''

  {Right away.}

  Immediately, the blade spirit communicated with the priestess and the ranger through telepathy magic. The remaining Tip of the Spear members promptly answered her hail, eagerly awaiting the signal.

  {Spear Two, Priestess Lumiere. The word is given.}

  After hearing the signal given by the hero's companion, Hector took a deep breath and released his arrows at the nearest pair of guardians. However, his attack wouldn't penetrate the shields of the pair as they harmlessly broke upon impact. Of course, what came next was a barrage of instant-hitting energy beams, though, due to the invisibility magic hiding the ranger. It wouldn't even hit, let alone damage, the target the aliens fired at.

  "Hw?t ?tbr?d ūs!"

  "Ic nāt..."

  "...Haldat ēowre ēagan cl?ne, swā hw?t swā tis is, hit is- Ack!"

  A potent barrage of ice needles instantly shattered their weakened energy shield. From afar, a young priestess of the Pantheon Church delivered death to the enemies of Eldrant. The unfortunate guardians were impaled several times on their bodies as they dropped to the ground. Watching in awe, Hector witnessed the invaders before him die horrible deaths. Taking out his communication orb, he communicated with the priestess to thank her.

  ''My thanks, priestess.''

  ''It is only my duty.''

  Lumiere responded as she moved to her next position, as did Spear Two, getting his bearings before fleeing. Meanwhile, the remaining Kaynian Guardians would regroup near the entryway as they assessed what had just happened and who was attacking them. However, unbeknownst to them, they were already at the mercy of the Ghost Operative as his automatic aiming software took over.

  "Ealdor! Hw?t tringt ūre feorwes!"

  Said one of the guardians as panic began to erupt amongst their ranks. However, they wouldn't be given time to converse as a barrage of depleted uranium rounds impacted their energy shields. Collectively, they managed to survive the surprise attack and immediately retaliated with a volley of energy beams aimed at the direction from which the Ghost had fired.

  ''Sarroth, you're up.''

  {Understood.}

  Materializing her avatar, the ghostly figure of the blade spirit caused the invaders to freeze at the sight of her. Fear gripped their cores as the Former Queen of Elvania opened her palm and pointed it at them.

  "Hw?t is t?t!"

  Not knowing what to do, the guardians were stunned as they witnessed their adversary's angered expression. Suddenly, tendrils of lightning erupted, shattering their passive energy shields. Screams echoed throughout the ruined settlement as the aliens endured the pain before succumbing to death.

  {It's done, master.}

  Turning to the operative, Sarroth gave her report concluding their first engagement with invaders in two hundred years. Returning to the power armor, she would be greeted by an excited A.I. Celebrating their first victory was more than deserved, knowing how low their morale was after the Javelot's destruction.

  [So how does it feel?]

  {It has been completely some time since I fought invaders, but I think I'll manage.}

  [I hope this brief practice session was enough to refresh some of your memories.]

  {Don't worry, Lady Vee, I am more than able to face them.}

  Of course, this was far from eradicating the invader's presence on Eldrant. What awaited them at the outskirts of Udel Village were three hundred Kaynians waiting to meet them in battle. Meanwhile, Tale merely stared at the massive sentinel from afar. It was clear that they couldn't do anything in their state.

  'We have a long way to saving this planet.'

  

  
• Date: September 30, M2100


  
• Time: 9:30 AM


  
• Location: Udel Village Outskirts


  

  ''My lord, wake up...''

  ''...Lord Atlant...''

  ''...My lord, wake up!''

  Opening his optics, the first thing Atlant saw was his brother in arms. Yriel was his name, a Kaynian Paladin. Immediately, he got to his feet with the aid of his brother. Looking around, he noticed that they were surrounded by numerous guardians and knights. A century of eighty combatants formed a perimeter around them.

  ''Yriel?''

  ''Yes, brother, it is I.''

  The lord looked past the paladin and saw the gate now inert. His thoughts began to drag on as he realized what had happened. The plan to save his fellow Kaynians was a success. The demon and his allies were too late to do anything.

  ''Has the gate fulfilled its purpose?''

  ''Indeed, my lord...''

  ''...It appeared beside our last stronghold on the red planet as the demons were about to perform a siege.''

  Yriel replied, recalling the final stand against the demons and their creations. Still, through sheer luck, their lord was able to give them safe passage. Though he thought of him dead, killed during an assault of the gate facility by the demons. Nonetheless, seeing him alive and well was enough for the paladin.

  ''How much of us is left?''

  ''Three hundred, my lord.''

  From what Atlant could guess, that would mean he was in command of three centuries, several squads of guardians, warlocks, and a single sentinel. It was small, but it was enough to hold back the natives of this planet.

  ''I see- Argh!''

  ''My lord!''

  After three days of intense fighting, the Kaynian Lord's body had finally reached its limit. It didn't matter how strong you were, as you would eventually suffer from exhaustion in terms of physical and psionic. Though knights were trained since birth, their bodies were molded and modified to be the peak of Kaynian physiology. Still, that didn't mean they were immune to weariness. No, it's only due to their better-built bodies that could perform better under constant stress and fatigue, which allowed them to fight for a long time.

  ''I need a warlock here!''

  Immediately, an unnamed warlock quickly administered psionic mending on the lord's body. Steadily, the exhaustion was eased, but it would never disappear without proper treatment. After receiving much-needed assistance, Atlant stood up with the support of his brother.

  ''My thanks.''

  ''You're welcome, Lord Atlant.''

  The warlock responded with a light bow before allowing Yriel to take over. The first thing the paladin noticed was how beaten his brother was. Never had he seen him this badly damaged, even when they were trained in the harshest conditions and the hardest of fronts. He has never seen him this exhausted.

  ''My lord, you need to rest.''

  Yriel suggested, but he merely received a look of determination from his superior. However, it was clear that he was exhausted and needed rest, but Atlant persisted. The lord raised his hand and commanded his fellow Kaynian to stand down and remain calm.

  ''I need no rest while there is still a demon nearby.''

  ''Pardon me, my lord, a demon?''

  This caught the lord's attention. Why was his brother-in-arms surprised about the demon's presence? However, it didn't take him long to realize something. When the airship had conducted a bombardment of his location, he placed every psionic onto his energy shield, letting him survive and causing him to go unconscious.

  ''How did you find me, Yriel?''

  He asked, hoping the answer wouldn't align with what had happened to him during his encounter with the demon and its allies. Having been immobilized by them and having his mind peered into by his rival's companion.

  ''You sent out a distress call, my lord.''

  ''No.''

  ''Pardon me, Lord Atlant?''

  Thus, what he predicted came to pass. His brother-in-arms was tricked by their enemies. The paladin, however, expressed confusion, wondering why his superior was acting strangely.

  ''That wasn't me, Yriel!''

  ''But-''

  ''There's a demon here, and he has gathered himself allies with the natives of this planet...''

  ''...That is the reason why you have found me in this state.''

  Realization struck the ten-foot-tall Kaynian Paladin as he realized his mistake. Understanding the presence of a demon in this world was foreboding, as he had previously ordered a squadron to search for the signal's origins.

  ''Then I have made a mistake...''

  "...We followed the signal, but strangely, it led to that ruined settlement instead of here. Thinking you were not alone, I sent a squadron of guardians to locate the source."

  Acknowledging the mistake of his brother-in-arms, Atlant couldn't fault him for falling to such a trick. However, as much as he wanted to lead the charge to eradicate the demon and his allies, he couldn't because his body needed repairs.

  ''Paladin Yriel, to repent for your mistake...''

  ''...I command you to go into that ruined settlement with your century and kill the demon and his allies.''

  To Be Continued.