25. Chapter 23 : Beurre et argent du beurre
Camp Thunderhead, February 7th 2017, 1220 AT
« Just when you think you have seen everything… »
In the middle of the command center, the map of the capital was still on the table and the wooden stools were all where they should have been, in front of the different radios and computers. Only one of them was not in its normal position. Instead, it was in the middle of the room, and it was the only one on which someone was sitting.
It was a figure no one could have expected in the middle of a secret advanced firebase. Enveloped in a large cover, the fox, or at least the young woman that Fünf had found instead of the fox, was tightly holding the large pieces of fabric covering her naked body. Her head was down, like she was trying to shamefully hide her face from the sight of all of those watching. However, it only drew more attention towards her as it made the triangular ears that were sitting on the top of her head even more visible.
Danpré sighed those words as he handed her a plastic cup full of a water. She raised her look towards the man she had already seen several times, but she did not move. Fünf grabbed the soft white cup from the hand of his superior and knelt down, bringing his face at the same level as hers and showing what was in the cup.
« Drink… It's water… » he simply said with the same soft voice as earlier.
Slowly, she extended her arm, revealing it to those that did not have the chance to see her before she had been given her rudimentary cover. It was covered with hair, in an amount slightly superior, but still noticeable, compared to a regular man. She grabbed it, squeezing a little the plastic, and pulled it back towards her at the same speed. It was almost like she did not dare to do anything. When it finally reached her lips, she almost threw her head backwards, chugging the entire cup of water in only a few gulps.
It was the perfect occasion for all the spectator to finally see her face. Her chin was short, her lips were thin and her nose was pointy. Overall, it was very foxlike while still remaining human. Cramped in the small doorway, the operators and engineers were in awe as she handed back the cup. Most of them had never met one of the beast women everyone kept talking about and, well, who could blame them. If they could, they would have probably asked her thousands of questions, but Soul was standing in the way, trying to bring a little of order.
Fünf grabbed back the cup before putting it on the table, his knee still on the ground.
« So… What is your name ? » he asked, looking at her in the eyes.
« I… I… My name is Wulpa, she said with barely audible words. That's how they called me in Meridiana. »
The last word she uttered immediately ringed a bell in the mind of the three soldiers. Danpré was about to launch his own question, but Fünf interrupted him by raising his hand.
« You were in Meridiana ? »
« Y… Yes, she continued with her low voice. You are going to bring me back there, don't you ? »
« Oh no, he quickly replied while shaking his hands in denial. We do not want to send you back there. However, what were you doing in Meridiana ? And how did you end up here ? »
His tone was the one of someone who genuinely cared about the answer he was waiting for.
« I lived in a forest, she started to tell as her look fled from Fünf's eyes, far from here. But one day, I wanted to leave, to discover the world. Then… a large group attacked me and they brought me to Meridiana. The man that bought me was called Bessara and he made me work in his brothel. »
She remained silent for a few seconds. In the meantime, Soul finally managed to push back the soldiers filling the doorway back into the corridor before closing the door and turning around.
« I don't know how long I stayed there, nor how many men payed the price to have their way with me. But I managed to escape. At first, I wandered through Meridiana, hiding from Bessara's men, then I found a way out of the city. But then the smugglers... And they brought me here. »
Fünf silently nodded.
« But then what about that ? » launched Danpré, pulling the small gem out of a bag lying next to the radio and turning around to show it to Wulpa.
Immediately, she leaned back on her stool like she was trying to flee from the shiny stone.
« No ! Take it away ! Take it away ! » she yelled, bringing her arms in front of her face to protect herself.
In front of such a reaction, he immediately buried it back into its bag, almost surprised by the intensity of her voice.
« Woah, simply he simply left out. That stone is such an evil thing ? »
« If it is too close to me, it hurts and I cannot change form. I do not know what it is, but I hate it… »
Silenced settled for a few seconds as Danpré scribbled something on a small piece of paper.
« Wait a minute, suddenly launched Soul as he looked at the map still on the table. Wulpa, do you know how big the brothel you talked about is compared to the other buildings of Meridiana ? »
She turned her head towards him, not understanding why he would ask something like that.
« I think so. Most people there are too poor to afford a large home, while Bessara has money and a lot of customers. »
« And do you think you could describe the layout of the interior and other things, like the number of guards ? »
« I… I think I can. »
« Well then, we might just have our southern safe house. »
Silence. For Wulpa, it was because she did not understand what those men were talking about, but for Fünf and Danpré, it was because they were thinking about the idea.
« But if we attack one of the big crime lord, wouldn't it attract attention directly on us ? » asked the younger operator.
« Well if we do not blow too much shit up, we could say it is magic or something. And I mean, those guys are dumb thugs anyway that have slaves, we could rescue the prostitutes and ask them for information. »
Both turned their head towards the COS officer. After all, he was the one in charge here, and all the decisions had to get his approval. He simply nodded before turning his head to look at the young woman.
« Maybe, he just said. But with the diplomats and now this… We have a lot of other things to do. »
Alnus Hill, Base Aérienne 945, February 10th 2017, 1000 AT
A small group of vehicles rolled on the black tarmac of the helicopter landing area. It was made of a pair of trucks followed by one P4. Overhead, the sky was grey, covered by one large cloud that was creating probably the dullest atmosphere possible.
The tiny convoy stopped near the only helicopter that was out of its hangar, a United States Army Chinook. All around it was a swarm of mechanics and crew members that was checking and refueling the helicopter like bees bringing food to the queen of the hive. A few meters away, a group of twelve soldiers was waiting patiently, each soldier standing next to his bag. The leader of the squad launched a word towards his subordinates before heading towards the small 4x4 as its passengers got out.
The first passenger was a tall man wearing the comfortable clothes of someone going on a long hiking trip. It was clear on his face that, despite having a lot of experience, he was not used to this kind of operations.
« Monsieur Costi, I presume. » said the soldier as he stopped in front of the man.
« You are correct, Lieutenant. A shame that we did not have the chance to meet during your small stay in Paris. » answered Costi, extending his hand.
The Lieutenant firmly grabbed it and shook it before looking aside to find out who the second passenger was. And much to his surprise, it was a blonde woman he had already seen plenty of times.
« Good morning, Lieutenant Moreau. » she said with a happy voice as she slightly bowed down to salute.
« I was not expecting to see you here, Miss Palesti. May I ask you why you are here ? » he replied with a salute.
Anthony knew that the two had already met before hand to plan the diplomatic encounters, but he had not been informed of any meeting just before the departure.
« I just wanted to sum up one last time what we had talked about, she answered, and make sure that he is not going to say anything sacrilegious directly in front of an important senator. Also, I have not been introduced to this kind of helicopter yet. How do you call them ? Chilook ? »
« Chinook, replied the Lieutenant. It is a Chinook. And I think I can arrange you a quick explanation. »
He turned his head back towards his squad, still waiting next to the helicopter. A few of them were chatting with one of the ground crew that had finished his tasks.
« Marc, can you come here ? » he shouted, using his hands as a made up megaphone.
The Caporal jogged to join his superior and saluted both the diplomat and the Knight.
« What is going on ? »
« She wants to know a little more about the chopper, he said. Could you introduce her to the crew so that they can explain while I talk with Costi ? »
« Huh… Ye… Yeah, I can. » he answered, slightly faltering.
« Perfect. Thanks man. »
The two walked away towards the helicopter while Anthony turned back towards the diplomat.
« So, what are you bringing along ? » asked the Lieutenant as the drivers of the trucks started to unload crates.
« Well for now we are trying to keep things simple. Wine, champagne, charcuterie, cheese and some fancy stuff like porcelain, silk, leather and those kind of things. »
One key word especially echoed through Anthony's mind. Costi barely had the time to finish his sentence that he asked another question.
« Porcelain ? Is it from Limoges ? »
The one question that someone living in the small French city is always going to ask as soon as someone slightly evoke the subject. After all, it is the only thing somewhat famous, alongside the train station and basketball, about what is probably the one of the most average city in the whole country.
« I… I think it is. » faltered the diplomat, the Lieutenant being too close for comfort.
A smile appeared on Anthony's face, but it quickly faded away as he returned to a more serious and formal stance.
« Sorry about that, he simply said. Force of habit. »
Costi waved it off as the ground crew started to load the crates inside the cargo bay of the Chinook, before continuing with his explanation.
« We are going to gift it to those senators and also promise the safe return of their family members that had been captured. It is sure that I am not used to work with that kind of gift. It seems that all of those are basic things, but apparently it will blow their minds. »
« This is one hundred percent true. I remember the first time Karl gave Lelei a ball pen, she spent several hours trying to find out how it worked. »
The two smiled, and Costi extended his right hand.
« Anyway, I really look forward working with your squad, Lieutenant. »
They shook hand again.
« The sentiment is shared, but I believe you need to be properly introduced to the rest of the squad. »
The diplomat nodded. Like everyone else, he knew about the four members that had appeared in front of the parliamentary commission, and he had also already met Marc and Pierre during the first meeting with the princess. But the Third Recon Team was made of twelve soldiers, so it left six unknown soldiers.
He exchanged a few words with all of them, trying to say one or two sentence with what little German he knew, before the Corporal and the Knight came back from their quick tour of the machine.
Shortly after, the small convoy of trucks left the airfield while the mechanics and ground crew finalized the last checks of the taking-off procedure. Then, the takeoff clearance arrived from the control tower, and the Chinook left the ground, its two giant propeller lifting the dozen of ton of the helicopter and its cargo.
Inside the cargo bay, everyone was silent. Some were trying to sleep, a few were listening to music with small headphones while others were just looking at the scenery through the round windows.
Anthony and Marc were side by side in the back, near the cockpit. The two were deep in their thoughts, but about completely different subjects. But suddenly, the Lieutenant poked his Caporal.
« Hmm ? » simply grunted Marc.
« So… How are this going on with… "Her" ? »
« The fuck are you talking about, man ? »
He was legitimately confused.
« Oh come on. You perfectly who I am talking about. » replied the Lieutenant with an enormous grin on his face.
« Wait, you are talking about Boses ? »
« You really think nobody knows ? asked Anthony with a small laugh. Literally each time you are in the same area, both of you can't stop looking at each other. It is super cute. »
« Wait… No… I don't… » faltered the Caporal, trying to defend himself.
« Oh don't lie to me, Marc. I saw both of you blush when I asked you to show her the Chinook. »
The Caporal sighed before whispering directly in the Lieutenant's ear.
« Look… I'm not going to deny that I like her but there is nothing between us. Understood ? »
Anthony nodded, trying not to smile too much.
« Understood, he puffed before returning to a more serious tone. But seriously, if you think it's worth it, then go for it. I'm cool with it as long as it doesn't affect your performance on the field. »
There was a few seconds where the two remained silent, one trying to find an answer and the other waiting for it.
« Thanks, Anthony. » he simply said.
The Lieutenant patted the Caporal's shoulder, his smile reappearing.
« Be careful, though. She might already promised to some old rich… »
« Man, shut the fuck up ! » replied Marc with a small laugh, pushing Anthony away from him before pushing his headphones back into his hears.
It made Anthony smile even more as he pulled out his phone out of his pocket, the looming shapes of mountains slowly started to appear from behind the horizon as the large flying beast flew over the last dozen of kilometers of the NATO controlled area.
Taverns are the best places to hear all the rumors on almost every subject.
This fact is well known throughout the world, and all the travelers, whatever their species is, use it at their advantage.
Yao had a lot of questions that needed an answer, and the rumors about the men in green were spread widely enough throughout the land that she would probably find what she was looking for.
It had already been around a week since she had left her people in the caves, and she had wandered down the mountains and into the Human territory of the Elbe kingdom, heading north. She knew that the Men in Green came from Alnus, but she did not know where they were exactly.
And now, she had reached the first proper town of her journey, the small villages that she had came across proving unsuccessful.
Almost no one payed attention to her when she sat down next to an empty table in a corner of the tavern. Night was slowly coming, and so did the customers and the ruckus that always follows them. She was cautious, keeping her face covered at all time. In that kind of environment, elves, especially dark elves, are a rare sight, and humans do not have a reputation of treating non-humans with the kindest of sentiment.
Out of the small talk shared between the different clients, nothing was really sticking out as interesting. To get what she wanted, Yao now had to ask for it.
She lifted her hand when the middle-aged waitress passed nearby, and a few minutes later, a younger woman, maybe around her twenty fiver, came back with a large cup of wine and a plate of dried meat.
« It will be one bronze coin. » she said, extending her hand to get her pay.
« Do you know anything about the men in green ? » instead replied the Dark Elf.
« Maybe, maybe not. Why do you ask that ? »
Yao, without saying anything, slowly put down her small bag of money on the table and slightly opened it, revealing the recognizable shape of denarii coins.
« My reasons are not important. Now, I am going to ask my question again. Do you know anything about the men in green ? »
Before the waitress could answer, the elf pulled out one coin out of the small bag before hanging it back on her belt and tossing the circular piece of metal.
« Ye… Yes I do, faltered the young woman as she grabbed the coin in midair. In fact, I actually saw them when they fought against the Fire Dragon. If it were not for them, me and my husband would have died. »
Yao's eyes suddenly widened when those words reached her long but hidden ears.
« What have you seen ? How did they injured the Dragon ? »
The waitress sat down in front of the elf, not knowing what was hiding under the scarfs and the hood, but not daring to ask any question, not wanting her coin to be taken away.
« You are not going to believe me, but those men are more powerful than anything you could ever imagine. They have those strange black staffs that look like they produce thunder, and one of those men managed to kill a panicking horse in a blink of an eye from several meters away. Then, they have those huge metal carts. I do not know how they call them, but they have large, soft wheels and can move really fast while creating a heavy rumble sound. »
« But what about the Dragon ? How did they manage to cut his arm off ? » asked Yao without giving her interlocutor some time to breath.
« When the dragon attacked, continued the waitress, it took everyone by surprised. Our carriage was destroyed and many people I knew died. But the men in green immediately started to attack him. Their regular staffs did not have any effect, so they used a way bigger one. This thing was as big as a wood log and, after one of them said some magic words, it launched a large trail of smoke that exploded when it reached the Dragon, not without the help of Rory Mercury. I swear on all the gods that its cry of dolor is the most terrifying sound I have ever heard. »
Yao immediately the name. As all the Dark Elves, she was a follower of Hardy. And as a follower of the goddess of the underground, she had heard countless times the stories of the Apostle refusing Hardy's marriage proposals and the succeeding hostility of the demi-goddess towards those that praised Hardy. But she was still an Apostle, fighting with her large halberd better than anyone.
« And do you know where they are ? I… I really need to know. »
The waitress turned around before looking at a group of uniformed men on the other side of the room.
« Those men are messenger from one of the border fort on the river, one day of walk north. They often pass here and, if they are correct, the men in green are staying on the other side and they do not prevent people from crossing the river. In fact, they say that they only see some of those metal carriages coming and going along the river while the Italican guards keep doing what they had been doing for years. »
Yao did not say anything, deep in her thoughts. If she wanted to convince those men in green to help her, simply meeting the common soldiers was not going to do much. She had to go higher up the command chain.
« Do they a camp somewhere ? » she asked, seriousness back in her voice.
The waitress scratched her dirty hair, like she was trying to somehow dig up a memory using this method.
« I do not know… I remember hearing that the ones that came after the attack of the dragon, with even bigger wheeled boxes with a large red cross painted on them, brought the injured back to Alnus Hill. I cannot tell more though, it was several months ago, and it was a real pain trying to understand them with their accent. »
Yao did not need to ask any other question. If the men in green had taken over the Formar County, there were obviously some higher ups staying in Italica, but Alnus was closer, meaning that the hill was going to be her first destination.
She thanked the waitress by putting down another Denarii coin on the table and, as the woman walked away towards other customers, she started to eat and drink, still keeping her face relatively hidden from sight.
But, as she finished her small meal and left the tavern and the town towards the nearby woods, a feeling she had not felt for a long time was taking over her heart.
Hope.
Imperial Capital, Collina Meridiana, February 11th 2017, 2330 AT
The brothel is called The Playful Elf. It is located at the bottom of Collina Meridiana, in a small alley only a few blocks away from the main street that leads up the hill, towards the mansions of the crime lords.
In the middle of the night, the rain was striking violently the small sign representing a woman with long ears and a large smile, hanging loosely from the side of a building that looked like all the other buildings of Meridiana. The water drops were also hitting the cloaks of the Fantômes that slowly progressing in the darkness thanks to their night vision googles.
At this hour of the night, the only customers that are in the brothel are the few that can afford to spend one whole night with a girl. Apart from them and the girls, the only people that are inside are the four guards and the lieutenant of Bessara that manages the place.
Light was pouring out from the windows of the ground floor, while the shutters were preventing everyone from seeing what was going on inside the rooms on the upper part of the building.
« Fucking hell, whispered Soul to himself as he repositioned his hood over his head. Why do I always get picked for that kind of mission ? »
His question was purely rhetorical and, as expected, he did not get any answer. The only thing that happened was the person directly in front of him slightly turned her head out of curiousness, like to hear what he was going to say next. But he did not say anything as the group stopped only a few meters away from the wooden door.
At all times, there are two guards near the entry. The first opens the door and take away the weapons that customers might carry while the other looks who is available, takes the money and also serves some basic beverages. The other two either patrol in the corridors or rest after their shifts.
« Thunderhead, this is Fantôme Actual. We have the target building in sight. Over. » discreetly spoke Sergei in the microphone of his radio.
« Copy that, Fantôme. You are right on time. You are cleared to continue the operation. Thunderhead, out. »
The leader of the Fantôme waved his left hand above his head in the direction of the door as he pulled his silenced P90 out from under his cloak. The other Fantômes did the same before silently stacking up on both sides of the door. Subsonic ammunition was loaded inside the top magazines of the suppressed sub machineguns. The goal was to make the least amount of noise possible as to not attract unnecessary attention from anyone, regular gunfire being audible from even outside of Meridiana.
If someone tries to enter the brothel so late in the night, the guard affected to the door will let him in only if he is a member of Bessara's gang. The locking mechanism of the door in itself is made out of good and strong metal, meaning that it is almost impossible to enter without either having the guard open to you, or breaking the door itself.
The thing is, breaking the lock was going to require more than a simple kick to lead to a successful breaching, and all the other solutions available to the operators, like explosive or shotgun shells, were already out of the question. The only thing they could do was having the guard open the door for them purposefully, and that was something that could not be done by the book.
Sergei waved his hand again, this time with four of his five fingers out. It was a message to the two that were directly behind him in the stack of operators. One of those two was Fünf, and he replied by tapping on the shoulder of his team leader. Quickly, he turned around and made a signal to the person standing behind him. Under the hood, her head nodded and the figure stepped out of the queue and headed towards the door, Fünf staying closely behind.
Directly in front of the door, they were protected from the rain. In a quick movement, she brought the hood down, and the two fox ears rose up after being compressed for a long time under the piece of cloth. Some operators were uncomfortable with bringing along a civilian to a live fire breach-in, but they really did not have any other choice.
The guards in the brothel are probably the same as when I escaped. They know me, and if I suddenly appear at the door, he will open to me. Bessara would be way too happy to learn that his favorite toy returned to him. He will probably brag about it to the other crime lords
She took a deep breath before grabbing the iron ring hanging from the door and knocking several time. At first, it seemed like there was no answer. But after a few seconds, the sound of steps came from the other side of the wooden panels. Then, a small slit opened, revealing two eyes boringly looking towards who the hell could have been knocking at the time of the night.
« What are you do… » the guard started before interrupting himself in the middle of his question.
From the outside, one could see him shake his head like to assure he was not dreaming.
« You ? By the Gods ! » he said before quickly closing the slit and started to unlock the door.
The metallic clicks were the signal.
Quickly, Fünf grabbed Wulpa's shoulder and pulled her away from the door while the other operators, still stacked next to the entrance, raised their weapons.
It was their only opportunity, and making a mistake was not an option.
They were so focused that they did not even notice the expression of surprise on the guard's face as they stepped in and fired a pair of subsonic rounds directly through his chest. His body fell heavily on the ground, dead, and the second guard, that only had the time to stand up from behind a counter, quickly joined him.
The ground floor of The Playful Elf is like the main hall of a tavern. When there is no girl available, or if one specific girls is already in business, this is where the customers can wait. If they want, they can have liquor and some light food, and on days with the highest traffic, some musicians come to play to entertain those that wait. I have to concede this to Bessara, he knows how to run a business.
Apart from the two bodies, the room was empty. All the chairs had been stored under the tables, the pints were drying after their cleaning and, on the counter, and a tiny leather purse was open, revealing the coin that were inside.
« Clear. »
Slowly, they progressed towards the large set of stairs that was leading up towards the bedrooms. Their step was light, trying not to alert those that were upstairs. And judging by the complete lack of noise coming from the rest of the building, it was working.
The two upper stories are filled with the rooms used by the girls. Each girl has her own room that she uses to serve her clients. There are more room on the first floor than on the second one because those are the smaller ones used by the more affordable girls, like the humans or the cat-people, while the more exotic and more expensive girls get the larger rooms of the second floor.
After silently climbing the steps, the operators arrived in a simple corridor. On each side, there were doors, each labelled with a simple symbol that indicated who was in which room. With only small candles fixed on the walls, it was easy to see the light coming from under the wooden panels, giving away which room was occupied, and which one were not.
Sergei, still at the point of the formation, launched another set of signs to the men behind that immediately stacked in pairs around each door while other stayed on over watch.
There were no locks on any of the doors, meaning that a single push was enough to allow the operators to enter. In the narrow rooms, there either were women suddenly waking up by the soldiers tying up their hands, or couples in the middle of the action. In that last case, the guide line was simple : grab the guy, blindfold him with a piece of cloth then throw him outside the brothel. It had to look like a takeover by a hostile gang, something that would not be too different from the daily and violent life in Meridiana. Sure, some tried to protest and to free themselves, but between confused inhabitants of a medieval slum and trained members of modern Special Forces, any fight was over before it even started.
Suddenly, the sound of steps came from the stairs linking the two floors.
« Hey ! Is something going on ? » asked what looked like an orc as he emerged from the stair case, directly in one operator's line of sight.
Immediately, the Fantôme recognized the clothes, similar to the other guards', and the shiny dagger hanging from his belt and opened fire. The ruff and greenish skin of the guard was no match for the P90 rounds, knocking him over, dead.
As a part of the team stayed to reassure the women scared by the sudden appearance of those mysterious men, the other continued its way upward. Again, the corridor was empty, and there were simple doors on each sides, but now, the priority of the operators was to open the only unlabeled door.
The second floor is also where the guards live. Behind the unlabeled door, first there is a small room with four beds where the guards can sleep. Then, this room leads to another one, way larger and way comfier, where Bessara's lieutenant lives. I always hated that guy, always hitting someone if she was not meeting the expectations. But come to think of it, after I escaped, he might have been punished and replaced for his incompetence… He deserves it.
And two more time, they repeated the same movements, first breaking into the guards' room, shooting the guard that had stood up from his bed, dagger in hand, probably after hearing the steps on the corridor, before doing the same into the lieutenant's.
The guy was already asleep in his large and comfortable bed, a woman lying next to him under the simple cover. The sudden appearance of the attackers in his bedroom literally made him jump out of his bed, trying to reach for a nearby short sword. But the hooded figures were too quick, and everything blacked out when a gloved fist violently hit his head.
Meanwhile, the other operators were pointing their weapons towards the naked woman that was also standing up from the bed.
« Hands up ! Hands up ! » they shouted as she rose up from her sitting position.
She obeyed, raising her two arms above her head, but also revealing something that, yet again, nobody could really have expected.
She was an angel.
Literally.
Large white wings were coming from her back, folded as to take the less space possible. Under the effect of adrenalin, the soldiers had not noticed at first when she was still in the bed, but now it was pretty obvious. But the wings were no excuses, she was still someone that has to be evacuated safely.
However, if for the Fantômes, all of these actions were part of a well-trained routine, for the winged woman, all the actions of those strange men were only bringing more confusion.
She remained silent as they lightly pushed her towards out of the room and down the stairs. It was only when they told her to stop in the middle of the common room, in the middle of all the other prostitutes, that she finally dared to speak up.
« Who are you ? Can we know what is going on here ? » she almost yelled with a powerful, yet elegant voice.
The head of all the cloaked figures, some still wearing their hoods, turned towards her. She tried to look directly in their eyes, her own unhuman traits often helping intimidate others, but they all remained untroubled by that almost naked woman and her two wings.
From behind one of those cloaks suddenly appeared another figure, smaller than all the others, and that she recognized immediately, even despite the hood on her head.
« Wulpa ? » was the only word she could say.
All the other women launched curious and confused looks, either between themselves or towards the figure that brought her wet hood down, revealing her long ears.
« Thanks all the Gods ! I thought I would never see you again. »
« Me too, Misery. I am glad to see you alive and well. » replied Wulpa, completely taking of her cloak.
She was still wearing the sweatpants and the French Army hoodie that one of Camp Thunderhead's combat engineers had gave to her. They might have been a bit large for her, but nothing that a little bit of cutting and sewing could not fix.
« Still, continued Misery, that does not answer my question. What is happening ? »
Wulpa simply pointed towards Sergei that had finished transmitting the latest situation update to Thunderhead.
« Well I will be quick, started the leader of the Fantômes. First of all, we are taking over this place. Secondly, this place is no longer a brothel and we are not going to exploit any of you. Third, we are not going to hide it from you, we are indeed the infamous men in green from Alnus. Lastly, we accept any information that you might have on Meridiana and the crime lords. Good ? »
Nobody dared answering, and only a few heads nodded at the statement.
« Good. We are not going to lock you in here, but if one of you tell the truth about us to anyone, we will find out, and we won't hesitate to take measures. If you have any questions, please refer to my subordinates while the doctor of my team examines you. »
With his statement over, he simply walked back up the two stories while behind, the first voices started to be heard, asking a thousand questions.
But now, what was on Sergei's mind was something completely different.
Tied up on a chair in the middle of his own bedroom, Bessara's lieutenant was slowly waking up from his unwanted slumber.
At first, he simply grunted as his eyes slowly opened, his brain trying to process what had happened. But he realized he was surrounded by such menacing figures, he almost froze still.
« That is quite the living that you had, said Sergei. The butter, the money of the butter and the ass of the dairywoman. Too bad we are taking it from you. »
The man did not answer. He was waiting for his death, the gangs of Meridiana often killing the lieutenants of other gangs during fights for turf.
« Your boss is probably going to be really fucking pissed, continued the Fantôme. He is probably going to try to retake it from us. But that will never happened. He will fail. »
Sergei knelt down, bringing his face at the height of the Lieutenant's.
« I want you to go meet Bessara, and I want you to give him a message. »
Hello, and thanks for reading Chapter 23 of Gate : Opération Marteau de Justice.
So... The school year has started, and I am back to huge loads of daily work for at least 8 months. I am going to try to continue writing every day to maintain my monthly release schedulde, but expect delays around april, may and june, the months in which my finals will take place. I apologize in advance, but preparing the entry exams of engineering schools is timely.
Anyway. I am continuing what I call the "diplomacy arc" with the diplomat, the Capital, the slums and the attempts to bring peace. Also, if you were wondering, I indeed got rid of the word "Akusho" to describe the slums as it is a Japanese word, and I replaced it by "Collina Meridiana", literally "The Southern Hill", a name that I personally find more fitting in that context. You might have also noticed that Yao has not reached Alnus yet, and this modification has been made to allow for a better "introduction" before the Dragon arc.
Now for the reviews.
Perseus12 - Patience, patience. They will get what they deserve.
Artyom-Dreizehn - It was that obvious ? Damn...
kiyone4ever - Concrete might have been a roman invention, but I'm pretty sure that the way we use and apply it are totally different, making it unrecognizable.
Zabzab - I know that according to laws, you can't kill unarmed enemies, but when you have someone with several impacts in his chest, is spitting blood and had been lying in the mud for a long period of time, you know that the guy doesn't have any chance to survive. If it's not of blood loss, it's going to be of various infections. So yeah, sadly I think that sometime, it's not immoral to slightly go beyond what is said in the Geneva Convention.Mais bon, la question que l'on doit vraiment se poser est "comment est votre blanquette ?" hehe.