20. Chapter 18 : Attaque suicide

Inn "Le Château des Bois", A few kilometers north of Orléans, December 3rd 2016, 0302 Paris Time

Those were the last seconds before the action.

The two groups they had sent in reconnaissance in the forest were not responding, and now they had only one thing left to do.

Launch a desperate all-out assault from the front.

It was suicide, and they all knew that. But with the effect of surprise and the help from God, they were more than certain to accomplish their objective : the elimination of the hellish creatures that came from the other world.

As the three vehicles gained speed, bullets were chambered, the last prayers were said and the commandos braced for the violent impact with the front iron gate.

Somehow, the van managed to break through, though not without any noise. But no one cared as adrenaline started to kick in.

The door of the vehicles opened and everyone started to follow the orders they had received. The two SUVs had headed for the sides as an attempt to quickly flank their targets, and the passengers of the van jumped out of the vehicle that had come to a stop a few meters of the now open gate, the engine too damaged to continue.

They were a short distance away from the actual entrance of the castle. One of the men noticed two silhouettes on a balcony of the first floor and immediately started to fire in their direction despite the poor visibility.

Others joined him, and the two shadows disappeared in the sound of gunfire and broken glass.

They stopped when the weapons clicked, their magazines empty.

As they reloaded, only a few noticed the shadow jumping in their direction from the same balcony, but everyone noticed the sound of a large pole violently piercing a large piece of metal.

They all turned around, some even lighting up flashlights, and their hearts almost stopped when they realized what had made that sound.

The Demon.

She was holding the handle of an enormous black axe that had pierced the roof of the van, her feet not even touching the ground. Her black hair were flying in the light breeze that started, her red eyes looking at them and her red lips smiling, revealing pointed teeth.

« Gentlemen, she giggled with her childish voice. Thank you for taking the time to visit us so late at night. I will make sure that you won't regret it. Emroy awaits you. »

The confusion started to wear off as her smile widened in a vicious way, and they started to fire.

The Demon spun around the handle to gain speed, avoiding the first shots in the process. The handle was then suddenly unstuck from the roof of the van, and the blade began to dance.

She was just too fast, jumping or running from one position to the other in the blink of an eye.

Just enough time needed to kill a man.

One body fell down, a large red slash on his torso at heart level, when her shadow passed next to him. The next second, she was next to another man, his head suddenly separated from the rest of his body. The shadow was still the target of a continuous fire of bullets and shotgun shells, but yet one sound seemed louder than any other : her maniacal laugh.

A few minutes earlier...

The first gunshot and the crashing window had suddenly woke up the entire group, the surprise especially visible on the faces of Tuka, Lelei, Pina and Boses.

Anthony grabbed Rory by the shoulder and ducked behind the cover of the stone wall. But he felt the Apostle slipping off his grasp, and the next thing he saw was her jumping from the balcony, holding her black halberd.

« C'est quoi ce bordel ? » launched Marc as he was maintaining both the princess and the blond knight on the floor.

« I don't fucking know ! » yelled back the Lieutenant.

Outside, the storm of lead stopped, and a few seconds later the door of the living room was burst open.

It was Sergei, wearing a heavy plate carrier over his employee uniform and a helmet, holding in his right hand a MP5 and in the other a really heavy bag.

« What the fuck is going on ? » yelled Jordan towards the one they now knew wasn't a simple inn employee.

« Just stay quiet and put on this, extraction is coming. » he simply said, throwing the bag in the middle of the room.

It landed next to Pierre who quickly opened it, revealing a large number of plate carriers.

Without any protest, the group equipped the black and heavy pieces of military equipment.

Outside, the sound of gunfire returned but no projectile was apparently aimed at them.

« Ok, now can we know what is going on ? » whispered Jordan.

« I don't know, replied Sergei as he closed the curtains of the room. But I'm pretty sure they aren't here to give you flowers. »

He checked one last time if his submachine gun was loaded and armed before going to lock and block the door.

As he passed next to Pina, he felt her interrogative look on him, but it wasn't the time to ask or answer questions. He turned the key in the door and buried it in one of his pocket.

« Fantôme Actual, suddenly buzzed the radio in his ear, Fantôme 3. We are inbound to your position. We have a confirmed hostile SUV parked north of the building, but it's empty, and the side door is wide open. You should expect company, over. »

« Copy that. Fantôme Actual out. »

Sergei looked around one last time, a finger over his mouth, indicating that they all needed to be silent.

From behind the closed door, the faint noise of large group breaking doors and storming rooms came to the group.

« Find them ! »

« This room is empty ! »

« Where are they ? »

There was a lot of them, and they were looking for them. Then, it was boots going up the large marble stairs.

« Actual to all Fantômes, what is your status ? The hostiles are closing in on our position. » Sergei whispered in his radio without showing any emotion.

The team leader got his answer, but not through the radio. Instead, he recognized the sound of silenced assault rifles and of confused un-silenced gunfire.

Three holes suddenly appeared on the door, causing Boses to let out a small scream that she immediately silenced by putting her hand in front of her mouth. But amidst the loud noises of the battle taking place outside the room, no one heard her.

Then, it stopped.

« Fantôme 3, confirmed seven targets neutralized in the stairs. Checking for explosives. Stand by, over. » were the words that came a few seconds later through the radio.

« Actual, copy. »

There was another minute or two of silence, and the voice reappeared through the radio.

« Negative on explosive. Staircase is clear. »

« Fantôme 6, started another voice that was directly behind the door, right corridor clear. »

« Fantôme 5, left corridor clear. »

« Roger that. » simply said Sergei as he walked towards the door, still holding tightly the grip of his weapon.

When he opened the door, it revealed five grassy silhouettes holding rifles.

For a moment, Pina thought they were monsters, but she then realized that the "monsters" had human faces painted black.

« Fantôme 2, this is Fantôme Actual. Is our extraction ready ? Over. » asked Sergei in the radio as he started to count to see if all the VIPs were here.

« Yes boss. I'm waiting for you in the front courtyard. Black is already here too. Over. »

Those last words came just as Sergei realized that Rory, codename "Black" for the need of the operation, was not with the rest of the group.

« Copy that. Moving for extraction, out. »

He then turned around and indicated to all that they could stand up.

It was at this moment that Pina realized how heavy the vest she had been given really was. The men hidden under their foliage started to escort them as they started to walk through the corridor.

Next to the walls were bodies of men not wearing any uniform, but still holding rifles with handles made out of wood. They had on their chests one or two red wounds, and the blood that had come out from them was either splattered on the walls or pooling under the corpses. But she couldn't really look at them as she was gently pushed forward by the bush man following her.

There were bodies in the stairs too, and impacts of bullets had ruined the marble columns that had been decorating it. It was sure going to be a lot of work to clean up thought Anthony, looking around for any threats in a paranoid way even if they were accompanied by Special Forces operators.

Outside, the sound of the battle died down, the automatic gunfire no longer hurting the ears of those not wearing ear protection. Nobody dared to break the silence as they progressed through the main hall.

Then, they finally got out in the front courtyard. Again, there were bodies all around, lying on the ground in the middle of blood, gravel and bullet casings. But this time, the blood was coming from large slashes on their bodies. Those were the kind of wounds that only could have been dealt by a heavy blade moving at high speed. No one doubted who had killed them.

« The souls of those men are full of hatred, yet they claimed to fight for righteousness. They all joined Emroy now, and he will make them truly suffer. » Rory said when she knew everyone was looking at her.

She was standing on the roof of the intruders' van, holding her axe, the moonlight bathing her face and her black hair floating in the light wind. She was still wearing the casual clothes she had been given the day before, and everyone could see that there were red holes in them.

She had been hit. But before anyone could move to ask her how she was doing or to call for medical support, a sound grabbed everyone's attention.

It was the light ringing of a small projectile hitting the body of a vehicle.

There was a few seconds of confusion before anyone, refugee or soldier alike, really started to understand what was going on by looking at the Apostle, still standing where she was.

A group of wounds started to bubble on her right arm, and a few seconds later pellets from a shotgun shell were expulsed from the red circles before the skin closed the gap by itself. The only thing that remained from the shotgun hit was dried blood.

Even the Special Forces operators had stopped to watch this spectacle, completely different of everything they had come across during their operations.

« My body can regenerate from wounds, she simply stated as she felt the surprise in the looks that were towards her. We Apostles don't die. »

She stopped for a second, appreciating the moonlight hitting her face as more rounds were expelled and her more wounds closed.

« No... We can't die. » she corrected herself.

She sighed one last time before gracefully jumping off the vehicle roof and walking slowly towards Tuka, holding both her and Rory's bag.

Sergei was patently waiting next to yet another minivan, his weapon still in a ready position. He wasn't really mad at his men for stopping their way to the extraction vehicle despite all the training and the professionalism inherent to Special Forces.

« Alright people, we don't have all night. » he simply launched, snapping everyone out of the surrealist scene that just unfolded in front of their eyes.

The group quickly reached the vehicle and, one by one, they got inside the cramped space, the men in foliage still watching for any possible threat.

Sergei and two of this men got inside too and closed the side door of the van, letting the rest of the operators behind. Anthony thought it was probably to start getting rid of the bodies, but he wasn't so sure.

The engine roared, and the van started to move down the courtyard towards the road. The impact had blasted the metal gates open enough to let them pass without any trouble.

As it gently inserted into traffic a few kilometers away, Anthony started to look at the two soldiers wearing ghillie suits. From the point of view of a simple infantry man, Special Forces members were always impressive to see.

« You are not from Interior Security, are you ? » he asked, knowing perfectly the answer.

Sergei and one of its subordinates shared a look, the first giving a nod of approbation to the latter that answered.

« No sir, he said with a polite voice. We are from the 13ème RDP. »

« And what are we going to do now ? » launched Marc.

« We are getting your asses back to the official hotel in Paris, answered Sergei. You will clean yourselves up, change to the clothes you had last time you appeared and board the bus to the homage. Then you will get back to safety in Alnus. »

« We will be more safe in a war zone ? Talk about ironic. »

Some laughed at the comment, and silence quickly returned inside the van.

A few minutes later, Sergei received a transmission in his earpiece, but didn't shared its content. Anthony didn't even acknowledge the communication as he looked inside his bag to see if he had everything, but he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

It was the princess, interrogation and confusion visible in her eyes.

« Huh… Need something, your Highness ? » he politely asked.

« Sir Moreau, who are the ones that attacked us ? »

Her voice was full of concern, but it also reflected her tiredness. After all, she had been brutally woke up by gunfire less than half an hour before.

Anthony shrugged. He had obvious doubts after hearing the words coming from the attackers, but he wasn't going to say anything.

From his passenger seat, Sergei looked at the princess like he was doubting before speaking up in a broken Saderan.

« Some of my men found evidence on the corpses. All lead to believe that they are extremists of a religion that is, let's say, not really okay with the idea of multiple gods. »

Pina was surprised to see this man suddenly speak in her language, albeit not without some difficulties. She was willing to ask more questions, and ask more question she did. But she did not get any concrete answer.

There was more chatter in Sergei's earpiece, and Pina asked one last question. It was something she really needed to know, no matter what those men wanted to hide.

« Have I been sold out ? Are people outside of France aware of the presence of me and my aide ? »

The Lieutenant, the Princess and the squad leader all shared a look.

Sergei sighed. He knew that everything he was going to say was technically top secret.

« No, he first simply stated. One of the attacker had photos of the three refugees on him. Probably to recognize targets. But there were not you nor your knight. They probably didn't even know you were even there. »

Pina let out a sigh of relief as the news came to her ears. The peace negotiations were not bringing any trouble thus far from this side of the Gate.

Nobody said anything after that, the sound of the engine at max speed on the Highway rocking some of them asleep. And that's how Marc ended up with Boses' head on his shoulder for almost two hours, not daring to move.

A gas station really early in the morning has a particular atmosphere. The noise of the automated coffee machines, two or three truck drivers taking a break over said machines, new employees taking over the ones that did the night shift and the cleaning crew working in the public toilets were things everyone that had ever drove at night knew. In the small store, Anthony and Mathis were filling plastic bags with enough food for a ten people breakfast.

« Seriously, how do you always do to end up in this kind of shit ? » asked Mathis, holding bottles of fruit juice.

« I don't know. » simply answered Anthony.

« First you become a phenomenon for the battle in Paris, then you end up in the Special Region where you meet a princess, an elf, a mage, and a fucking goddess before fighting a giant dragon, you go again on television and finally you are attacked by terrorists. »

The Lieutenant's brother simply ended his sentence by a sigh, like he had been exhausted just by enumerating that list.

« I'm serious when I say that I don't know. Like I was sure to end up just doing heart and minds all over the place, but life has decided to screw me over or something. »

A few minutes later, Mathis went to pay at the cash register, and the two started to walk towards the store exit. As they approached the automated doors, Mathis let out a simple question.

« Which one do you prefer, though ? »

« What ? » confusedly replied Anthony, not sawing that question coming.

« Knowing you, Anthony, you like the looks of the blond one, the mage share that interest for science that you have and the gothic is always sarcastic like you. Am I right ? »

« You know me god damn well Mathis. But they are just friends, alright ? Don't start imagining stuff like one of your manga. »

But the last part of his answer apparently didn't had the wanted effect as Mathis started to giggle.

« You know what ? Fuck you. » launched Anthony to his brother as the two reached the parked van.

Only Sergei was waiting outside, a large coat hiding his machine gun. They all boarded the vehicle and, as it regained speed on the highway, the two brothers started the distribution.

« Hey, just a question. If we are still potential targets, then why are you maintaining the homage ceremony ? » asked Jordan after he had helped opening a package of dry cakes.

« Well first you will be right next to a military base, second the affluence will make you hard to reach and third, if we cancel anything people will be suspicious. It is the best way to keep everything under the rug, alright ? » answered Sergei, taking off his coat.

Only the sound of food being eaten filled the air for a few minutes. In a way, Anthony thought, what better way to make people discover a world than to immersive them in the daily live of its citizens. The shock might have been hard for the princess, commoners doing things she could only dream of, but in the end it was to show trust : something that everyone knew the Empire had not.

« You better try to get some rest now, added Sergei. Because with all the cameras you are not going to get some sleep soon. »

An hour later, the familiar stone buildings of the Parisian center reappeared through the windows of the van. The day had risen while they were on the road, but the sun wasn't high in the sky when they entered the maze of buildings.

Suddenly, the vehicle dived into an underground parking lot. After a few seconds of navigation through the cold grey concrete pillars, the van stopped. Sergei jumped off and opened the back doors, allowing everyone to exit the cramped space.

« Making new friends ? » launched a now familiar voice from somewhere outside of anyone's field of view.

Anthony quickly spun around to face Bonisseur, still wearing the same long coat.

« Hey it's not our fault if those three are so popular. »

Bonisseur laughed for a second as the rest of the group looked in his direction. Behind them, the two operators that had been wearing their grass suits for hours finally had the opportunity to take them off. The two were now truly looking like humans despite their blackened face. Pina noticed how similar the equipment they had underneath their suits was to the one wore by the common soldier at Alnus. From one of their pockets, they both pulled out pieces of cloth and started to wipe the paint of their faces, allowing her to fully describe them.

They were both young, in their early twenties, yet you could read the experience in their eyes, showing that they were not simple soldiers. The first one had a profiled face, a thin nose between his green eyes and short ginger hair. The second was a little shorter than his teammate and had a boxier face with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Along with Sergei's, she had the feeling that she was going to see those faces again.

« Alright, continued the Interior Security agent as he looked at his watch. You have exactly an hour and half to take a shower, take a nap and change back to your initial clothes. Then I want everyone here. Am I clear ? »

The general nod that came back to him was his answer.

And an hour and half later, they were all back at the same place, standing next to the small bus that had brought them through the Gate two days earlier. For some, the civilian clothes had been exchanged with uniform, while for other they had been with traditional clothes.

Pina, Boses, Pierre and Marc were indicated one of the black vehicle of the Interior Security escort and, before the back door of the vehicle closed, Bonisseur launched one last thing aimed at everyone.

« Remember, you stayed here for the last two days. Understood ? »

Again, his question was answered with nods, and the group of soldiers and refugees boarded the bus.

Anthony was the last one remaining outside the bus, in front of his brother.

« So I'm guessing you are going back there ? » simply asked Mathis.

« Yup, simply answered Anthony. And thanks again for that night. »

« Well thanks to you and your friends I almost got shot. »

There was a long silence, the two brothers looking at each other in the eyes.

« Hey, it was great seeing you Mat. » said the Lieutenant.

Mathis didn't answer at first, but after a few seconds he quickly passed his right hand over Anthony's shoulder and pulled him towards him for a hug.

« Just stay safe, alright ? » he whispered in Anthony's ear.

« I will, bro. I will. »

The hug lasted for another couple of seconds before it broke and Anthony finally entered the white vehicle, the door closing behind him.

The convoy started to roll out, and after a few seconds of navigating through parked cars, it exited the parking.

Behind the tinted glass, Pina saw the large crowd that had been waiting for them, just like in front of the Assemblée Nationale. They were the same of people, aiming either a black device the size of a rabbit with their two hands or a device twice or thrice as big over their shoulder. Sir Moltke had tried to explain to them the concept of "journalism" during their short stay in Sir Moreau's apartment, but it was still blurry in their minds. Why would so many people try to bring the same information to the ones reading the newspaper or watching the television ?

Pina noticed how their attention was captured immediately by the apparition of the bus. Only the gods knew how long they had waited for those few seconds. Nobody was interested in the black escort cars, though, and she felt weird being like ignored by the people. Usually, she was the reason why people would watch a procession through the streets, but here nobody knew she was here, and nobody knew she even existed in the first place.

The crowd seemed to never end all along the way, a path for the convoy only possible thanks to the numerous men in black uniform blocking the streets and preventing anyone from blocking the way.

After what felt like hours, she started to recognize landmarks. First it was the Assemblée Nationale building, then it was the large Seine river, the Palais du Louvre, the Champs-Elysées avenue and the large iron dome surrounding the Gate.

It was only when the convoy stopped inside the small military base that Pina noticed the stage that had been built in front of the large metal doors of the dome and the large crowd that was in front of it, waiting eagerly for the ones that were going to speak.

From where their vehicle was parked, they had a perfect view on the door of the bus opening, letting the four soldiers and the three refugees out. They were immediately welcomed by a group of men in suits. Pina only recognized one of them, the Foreign Affairs minister they had met two days ago, but she noticed how the soldiers saluted at the sight of the man in the center of the group.

He was rather short, a little fat, an oval face with small eyes behind clear glasses. He had a deep expression on his face, but a small smile appeared when it came to welcome the three women.

« Who is this man ? asked Pina to the two soldiers that were still with them in the car. He looks like an important person. »

« Well because he actually is, answered Pierre. This man is Francois Hollande. He is the French President. »

The Princess' eyes widened. He was the men she wanted to meet all that time, the true head of state.

« But why couldn't we meet him ? » asked Boses.

« He was in a diplomatic meeting somewhere in Africa or something like that. » said Marc, looking at the scene from his seat.

Pina watched as the President indicated the direction of a large stone block that was standing one the sidewalk of the avenue. On top of it was the sculpture of a boat over a sentence in Latin, or as she knew it, the Elder's language : "Flvctvat nec mergitvr".

Tossed but not sunk.

Underneath the text, and going all around the stone block, were other inscriptions written with smaller letters. But from where she was it was hard to read them.

« What is this ? » she asked, a little confused.

« A memorial to all the innocents that died the day the Empire attacked. »

She felt her blood freeze, an uneasy feeling appearing in her body.

All this crowd was here for an event openly against the Empire. And even if the current leaders wanted peace, what could possibly happen if the people wanted otherwise ?

What if all they wanted was revenge, and not justice ?

But she kept her thoughts to herself as she continued to watch the ceremony. Officers from the "Police", dressed in black ceremonial uniforms, approached, holding large bouquets of flowers covered in ribbons of blue, white and red. When they arrived next to the group, they gave the bouquets to the refugees and helped them putting the flowers at the basis of the monuments.

And then came silence.

The Apostle dropped on one knee, still holding her axe inside the draping, and started to mumble a prayer, probably to her dark lord Emroy. She was followed by the mage and the Elf, but the soldiers, the politicians and most of the people in the crowd simply closed their eyes, still standing up, like thinking about all the people whose names were engraved in the stone.

Even inside the car, silence was heavy. Pierre and Marc were also completely silent, and both Boses and Pina didn't dare to interrupt this moment.

The silence lasted for a full minute, then a group of musician, all dressed in fancy military uniforms, started to play. The song was, without a doubt, a military one, but the melody had a rather light tone. There was also a group of singer, but nobody really heard them as the entire crowd sang along.

In the car, as the song was sang, Marc translated each verse to Pina and Boses.

Allons enfants de la Patrie,Arise, Children of the FatherlandLe jour de gloire est arrivé !The day of glory has arrived !Contre nous, de la tyranie,Against us, tyranny'sL'étendard sanglant est levé.Bloody banner is risen.Entendez-vous, dans les campagnes,Do you ear, in the fields,Mugir ces féroces soldats ?The roar of those ferocious soldiers ?Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras,They come right into your arms,Egorgez vos fils et vos compagnes.To slit the throats of your sons and your wife !

Aux armes, citoyens !To arms, citizens !Formez vos bataillons !Form your battalions !Marchons ! Marchons !Let's march ! Let's march !Qu'un sang impur,Let an impure blood,Abreuve nos sillons.Soak our field.

A chill run down Pina's spine as the song faded away in a large mix of roar and applause. With a livid face, she turned towards the Caporal and asked an important question.

« What was this song ? »

« La Marseillaise, he answered. It's our national anthem, a song that symbolize France and that every citizen know. »

This statement made Pina's blood even colder. Pierre noticed how pale she was and felt the need to ask something.

« Don't take it too seriously, though. It dates back from the Révolution, when everyone wanted the Republic's death. Now you should probably understand it as a way to say that we really stand by our values of freedom and liberty against tyranny, and that we are not easy to defeat. »

Pina felt the relief in another rollercoaster of emotions like the numerous others she had felt during this trip. But there was still a rampant worry.

What the French considered tyranny is exactly how the Empire, her own country, has always behaved. One thing was now really certain in her mind now : the Empire as she ever knew it will be forever changed by the ideas of this world.

Françaises, Français, it has now been almost four months since this tragedy shook this wonderful place that is the center of Paris. What started as another summer day ended as the day that saw the highest number of death since the end of the Second World War. Behind me stands this Gate that linked, for the first time, two different world. Yet, the nation that made the first move didn't choose to open a peaceful contact. Instead, they chose to attack unarmed people on sight. The first word they spoke was in the language of violence and of war. As a result, more than a hundred and seventy people died, and the entire world was hurt. During our history as a republic, we have often been attacked by oppressive kingdoms and expansionist empires, and each time we fought to restore freedom and democracy.

[…]

By attacking before talking, this Empire that came through the Gate made itself into our enemy, dragging all of us into yet another conflict. But I want to address a message. A message to the leaders of that Empire and to the rest of the International community. We are not invaders, we are not colonialists, we are not preachers of a superior culture. What we are, though, are people willing to find answers, willing to see justice and willing to end this conflict as soon as possible. I extend to you an open hand to end this war, to repair the damages caused, to bring decent living conditions to your population, whether it is Human or not, and to walk together towards progress.

[…]

I also want to thank all the soldiers, whether they are French, German, British or American, that are currently deployed in the Special Region, and especially those who have been injured in battle. I want to salute their courage, their bravery and their professionalism in front of an enemy in larger number. As a representative of the French people, and as a Frenchman, I say thank you.

Extract of François Hollande's speech at the hommage ceremony, December 3rd 2016

Fort Alnus, Gate parking lot, December 3rd 2016, 0750 AT

There was a routine on how vehicles crossed the Gate. To limit to a maximum the effects of the large convoys on the life of Parisians, the large group of vehicles carrying large amount of supplies always crossed at night. Only the transport of personnel and some small vehicles were allowed to cross during the day, but it was rare.

As the sun slowly rose in the sky of Falmart, only two Humvees were waiting in the parking area situated next to the dome, their two American drivers chatting.

« I don't know if I should feel grateful for having three off days more, or sad that half the team got to spend those days back on the other side. » sighed Frederico, his back against the driver door of the first Humvee.

« Your just a private, replied Mary with an almost ended cigarette in her mouth. You really think you would get anything other than being bullied by NCOs ? »

« Ah fuck you gringa, he simply replied laughing before looking at his watch. They should arrive any minute. »

A recon helicopter passed overhead on his way to the landing area, but the two didn't pay attention to it. However, their attention was grabbed by the sound of the large metal doors of the dome slowly moving. Usually, it was another sound that just merged into the usual soundtrack of the base, but this time, they had actually been waiting for it.

An entire convoy of black SUVs surrounding a white bus exited the large metallic structure and headed towards the two Humvees. Mary blew a small cloud of smoke before throwing the cigarette end on the ground and smashing it with her foot.

The bus stopped in front of the two American soldiers that immediately started to stand at attention. The SUVs didn't stop and continued towards the Headquarter building where General LaPointe was waiting for his two guests.

The door of the bus opened and, one by one, the people that were in the vehicle exited it, the soldiers of the group returning the salute and the refugees saying hello.

« At ease, said the Lieutenant as he saw the two soldiers with their right hands up. Who is doing the taxi for who ? »

« I'm taking care of the refugees, sir. » answered Frederico before opening the back doors of his Humvee and helping the three loading in their bags.

Anthony simply nodded and turned towards Mary, starting the engine of the second Humvee. Everyone climbed onboard their designated vehicles, and the two started to roll in different direction, respectively towards the refugee camp and the barracks.

« So how was it ? asked Mary. You all look like you didn't sleep. »

In the back seats, the soldiers all sighed at the same time.

« Wow. It was that bad ? »

« Trust me you wouldn't like to be in our place, answered Anthony before mumbling something to himself. They better give me two days off more. »

Silence returned in the vehicles, but was quickly broken by Daniella.

« So, what now ? »

« Apparently, thanks to all the intel given by the Countess, there are a lot of villages in the County of Italica. Guess who is going to make first contact with them ? »

Anthony smiled.

They were back to work.

Hey ! New month, new OMJ chapter.

I can finally say that I'm done with the Summon/Hakone arc. This chapter covers the entire tenth anime episode, but to be honest I really don't know how I could have made two chapter out of this. My only guess would have been to make a longer "battle" by having the soldiers actually fighting, but it wouldn't have made any sense.

Now I'm not going to start writing chapter 19 just now. I want to take a small break and I want to rework on the first half of the story that really, and I mean REALLY, needs it.

Also I have now a twitter account ( twitterdotcom/TheSlyls ) where I'll post updates on OMJ, other projects and things that come through my mind. So follow me.

But now, it's review time.

All the reviewers talking about historical mistakes - Could you please point them out to me so I can do fixes. I rapidly researched on Wikipedia before writing that chapter so I know it wasn't perfect.

Tundra and shintokyo - Well honestly, I think that only Jihadist gather that much men and resources, especially in France. The other religious extremist might yell on the Internet, but they couldn't gather a full squad and guns.

aiden590000 - If you suspected it, then it's not really an "unexpected Jihad" anymore. Just sayin'