31. Chapter 29 : Pas ton père

The day had started like all the other days for the inhabitants of the village at the bottom of Alnus Hill. As the sun slowly rose over the cold landscape, more and more people left their apartments to do whatever was in their daily routine. For many, it meant going to work in one of many shops or warehouses of the Alnus Cooperative. But for others, they had to start their day by going up the hill.

Ever since the first refugees had settled in the temporary camp, there has been a large need for medicinal drugs to treat everything from a simple cold to a large infection. However, as all of it was new to refugees and villagers, the doctors of the Health Service did not trust locals with possibly lethal chemicals. So it was decided that all intake of pharmaceuticals had to be done under the watch of professionals at this hospital. And because so many treatments required taking a pill in the morning, there was always a small crowd waiting in line for their medicine.

But if the day had started like all the other days, it quickly changed for all of those seeking to reach the medical facility.

The entire perimeter was blocked off by soldiers and nobody could come close to the building. And while many were rightfully confused, none of the Task Force personnel replied to their questions with any meaningful answers.

This lasted for several hours as people in need were directed towards doctors working outside in the cold wind. However, it started to change when a large convoy of black unmarked cars arrived at the hospital in quite a hurry. They were obviously coming from the other side of the Gate especially for that situation, so it was not surprising to have people gathering as close as possible to see who they were.

Several men in dark uniforms, all of their faces hidden by balaclavas, jumped out of each vehicle and started equipping themselves with what they had stored in the trunks. With all of their gear, they looked a lot like regular FORSO soldiers. But with the only exposed part of their bodies being their eyes, protected behind thick pieces of glass fixed to their helmets, it was clear that they were far from being simple soldiers. However, what really gave it away were the four letter printed in large white letters on their back.

GIGN

And it was not long until LaPointe appeared and started to exchange with the leading officer of those men in black.

« So, were you briefed on all the details ? » asked the general after all the normal salutations.

« We have been told everything you transmitted, but we need to know what changed since then and other details to plan our intervention. »

The GIGN officer had replied with a lot of calm which directly contrasted with the stress of LaPointe. But such a contrast was far from surprising as for one of the two, taking care of hostage situations was part of the job.

The general quickly ordered some of his assistants to bring over some elements before starting his explanation. And after a few a few hand signs from their officer, all the operators in black gathered to listen to him.

« I have tried to negotiate with her during the entire night, but we have not reached any real conclusion. She has a hold on a hostage and she is not letting him go. »

« Has she shown signs of hostility ? »

« For now, no. But I have to warn you, she is a wild beast. And I wish I was not that literal. »

LaPointe sighed, sparking a small wave of curiosity as his aides set up plans of the hospital on the hood of one of the black SUVs.

« What do you mean ? »

« Delilah's kin are known for being extremely fierce warriors, especially in close quarters combat. And when they are cornered, their bestial instincts kick back in to keep them alive. And here, she already has her back against the cliff. »

« Are you insinuating something, General ? »

« Look, the only thing I want to say is that this building is the only operational modern medical facility on this side of the Gate. I want that hospital to be cleared by ten hundred hours without anyone else being injured. But if she manages to close the gap and if she engages you up close, there will be injuries. »

« I think my men know how to do their jobs, sir. Any more details we should be aware of ? »

LaPointe simply nodded and pointed towards the map of the interior of the building.

« She is locked in this room with one hostage, he continued as he pointed out the precise position on the paper. The room has a large window that faces to the south but the blinds have been closed. Most surrounding rooms were empty and locked and we have evacuated everyone else. We actually tried to force her out early on, but she fired a warning shot and that made us back off. We've tried to talk her out since then. »

« Has she replied to you ? »

« Yes. But she is not backing down. Far from it. She wants everyone to stand down and to be able to go without being pursued. For her, it's that or death. »

LaPointe's last word had a heavy weight. For most operators, even if they had acted very carefully in every situation, this quickly shifted the tone of the scene. The vast majority of their operations involved lone gunmen locked up in their homes, only being a danger to themselves. But here, this was a level of commitment they had only encountered in the most extreme cases.

And so, the General continued his explanation, giving all the important details needed for the operators to plan their upcoming actions. Actions that, of course, everybody hoped would not have to be done.

« I have to say that you are quite daring, young lady. »

Duran said those words with a smile as the bunny who had irrupted in his room several hours earlier changed her makeshift bandage for the third time.

« This is not daring, she coldly replied as she wrapped a long strip of cloth cut directly from the bed sheets. I am cowering like a hunted beast. I should be fighting for my freedom. »

« Oh I know how it feels to be besieged, young lady. That frustration of not being able to go outside to drive back the enemy. First time ? »

There was no hostility between the two. In fact, had he not been lacking limbs, he would have helped her treat her wound. And so, as she finished the knot holding everything in place, she replied.

« I know that construction of large fortresses is far from being what my species excels the most at. But I still lived through a siege that marked the downfall of the Warrior Bunnies. I was a Royal Guard back then. And when our Queen surrendered, the Imperials burnt down everything. »

« Queen ? I thought that your species was made of small separate tribes. »

It was only at this moment that she turned her look towards him. The tribal painting had started to wear off because of her sweat, revealing a calmer and softer face.

« The Queen does not look into the affairs in and between tribes, but she has the final say in situations involving all of the inhabitants of the plains. When the Saderan legions started to march on our lands, she led us into battle. »

« And from what I can see, things have not taken a good turn. »

Even if the comment was just a cold observation, there still was a bit of empathy in Duran's voice.

« We fought hard, but in the end we still ended up surrounded in our own fortress. And when all hope was lost, when we ran out of supplies, she turned her back on us and surrendered. She left us all alone when they launched their final assault. Many of us died and many more fell to slavery. »

« And what about you ? You are far from looking like someone who has lived through the struggles of slavery. »

The old king was soft in his voice. It was like he was trying to reassure her and to calm down the situation. If outside attempts at negotiations had failed so far, he had taken the personal responsibility of deescalating the situation.

« With our lands burning, she continued as she looked blankly towards the wall in front of her, I fought my way out with a few others. We roamed the land for a long time, our group becoming smaller at every city we encountered as those tired of running found easy ways out with local crime lords. »

« And you ? »

Even though he knew that she was about to continue her story, he still asked his question to show that he really cared.

« Me ? In the end, there were only two of us. For months we had to use all of our skills to survive, always on the move. Then, we started to hear rumors. Somewhere in the south, a lord was welcoming beast men on his lands. So we marched southward without any real destination. You could not imagine the joy Mamina and I felt when we found the village of the Cat People. »

He noticed the small smile that appeared on the corner of her mouth. It was clear this must have been a real liberation for her and her friend. However, the most interesting part of her story was still to come. Yet, he was reluctant to ask as it would probably spark her anger back up and ruin his attempt of calming things down.

« You know, I think that the dedication of your kin for battle is a great advantage. But sometimes, you have to know when to back off and when to retreat to fight another day. How can you win a war if you die in the first battle ? »

Even if he was not saying it directly, he wanted her to surrender to the French and prevent more violence. And it seemed that she understood. However, at first, she did not reply. Instead, she reached back for the pistol and tightened her hold on the black plastic grip.

« No… Running away is a sign of weakness… »

Through her voice, Duran could feel her doubt.

« A few months ago, I would have replied the same thing. And now, look at me ! »

He had almost yelled as he pointed towards what remained of his amputated leg.

« No… You… You do not understand… I have to continue… I must fight on ! She must face the consequences of her actions ! »

The King shook his head as she stood up from the bed. His attempt at appeasing her had failed and he was back to square one. He started to think about a new plan to solve the situation, but he was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed her completely frozen in place, her two long ears suddenly standing up on top of her head.

Just like if she was hearing some kind of danger coming.

Quickly, she ducked behind the bed and pointed the gun towards the door, ready to press the trigger at any moment. Because she had no access to the key, she had not been able to lock the door when she had entered.

So, there was nothing preventing someone from violently kicking it open with a ram. By reflex, she pressed her finger against the trigger once, trying to hit the dark shadow that had busted the panel open. A tiny bit of the wall exploded in a small cloud of dust right next to the opening. Before she could readjust her aim, an object was thrown into the room. It was a small metallic cylinder which lightly bounced and rolled on the ground.

But she was not able to wonder what it was as all of her senses were suddenly overwhelmed. A bright flash blinded her eyes and an extremely loud detonation deafened her sensitive ears.

She screamed in pain as she reached to cover her ears, letting go of the pistol that fell on the ground. She was not able to hear the boots of the men storming into the room. The only thing she felt was someone pushing her against the cold floor and tying her hands behind her.

And by the moment the effects of the flash grenade wore off from her vision, it was already blurred by tears of regret.

A few miles north of Schwartz Woods, February 24th 2017, 1750 AT

It had taken the four vehicles almost a day and a half to reach their destination from Alnus Hill. The first day had taken place mainly on dirt roads leading them to the mountains, making it the easy part. But then, on the second day, they had to actually drive the thing. And as expected, it had greatly reduced the pace of the convoy.

« Night's coming. Are we going to stop now or something ? I don't want to take risks with the cars in the dark. »

In the almost silent cabin of the lead Humvee, the distorted voice of Marc echoed. Nobody had talked for a while. Mary was busy carefully inputting throttle and steering to keep the vehicle stable on the trail, while Anthony was carefully examining the map of the area he had access to and all the other passengers kept quiet to not disturb the operations and also to prevent a blonde girl from waking up.

The Lieutenant put the large piece of paper back on the dashboard before picking up the microphone of the radio.

« We should not be too much far out. I'm going to ask Yao. Wait one. »

« Copy. »

Still holding the device in his hand, he turned around in his seat to face the back compartment. At the back was Rory, looking like the most relaxed of all as she was lying down with her feet on the bench in front of her and reading some book she had brought with her. Next to her were both Yao, who had spent most her time looking at the landscape through the windows, and Lelei, who was keeping a close eye on Tuka.

The further away they were from Alnus, the more troubled the Elf was. At first, she started to feel stressed during moments of doubts, but it quickly changed into panic attacks that required an intervention from the mage. And to protect her and everyone else, it was best to put her to sleep.

Because she had heard her name, Yao was already looking at the Lieutenant, ready for any question he could ask.

« Are we still far from the canyon ? »

« No, she simply replied before leaning forward to get a better view through the windshield. Do you see the crest over there ? Once we reach it, I will go ahead alone to announce your arrival to my tribe. »

With her finger, she pointed towards where the narrow path went over one of the many ridges formed by the mountain. And with their current pace, it seemed like it was not going to be long until they reach it.

« Thanks, said Anthony before putting back the microphone near his mouth. Ok, everyone, we are going to stop at the top of the crest at ten o'clock. Understood ? »

« Copy that. »

« Understood. »

« Copy. »

There was another moment of silence as he put the radio back to its original position and Yao sat back down. But it was quickly interrupted by Mary, still behind the wheel.

« By the way, why do you have that trail going up that mountain? I mean we can fit all the vehicles without too much trouble. Seems kinda weird for me. No ? »

« We do not use those paths very often. But there are many merchants that come to trade with some of the tribes. Those mountains have few riches, but the jewelry made out of the crystals we find here are sought by Elbian nobility. »

« Allows you get stuff you cannot find here, huh ? »

« Exactly. However, most of our resources come from the forest. So if this trade were to stop, we would still have enough to live. »

It seemed so obvious when explained out loud, yet nobody had really thought about it. And so, as the convoy went over the last obstacle of the day, small talk finally started in the cabin of the lead Humvee. For so long, the soldiers of the reconnaissance team had asked questions to gather intelligence that they had forgotten what it felt like to actually ask to fill their own curiosity. The kinds of resources Dark Elves had to live with, what method of agriculture was put in place in such difficult terrain or what was the fauna and flora of their forest, no question was too much to ask.

And the act of answering those questions was something that Yao found enjoying herself. For once, the Dark Elves were not the source of interest solely because of their riches. But sadly, as much as she would have liked telling more, the vehicles all reached the crest she had designated.

As the path came over the top, it opened up in a larger and more flat surface. On their right, the mountain was still rising towards a peak that was hidden from sight while on their left, the crest continued for a few dozen meters before diving back down.

It was obvious why their guide had told them to stop here. There was enough room to fit the four cars, while ahead, the trail narrowed between the rocks as it went back down towards a large canyon. And there was no doubt that it was the place where the Dark Elves had found refuge in.

And while everybody dismounted, some already started to comment what they were seeing.

« Well that sure looks like one hell of a trench. »

Frederico's remark sparked a few head nods here and there.

« It reminds me of something… »

Jordan had said those words with a deeper tone as distant memories returned to his mind.

« Me too, added Marc that was standing next to him. Afghanistan ? »

« Nah… Iraq. »

« Oh… I see. »

Neither of them said anything else as they could understand each other without words. Despite the colder weather, those rocky and desert mountains were greatly similar to those they had both fought in years ago. And now, here they were again, tracking down an elusive enemy on its own rocky turf. Fantasy world or not, it seemed like modern soldiers would never escape from those missions.

« Wait here. I shall go ahead and tell my elders about your arrival. It might take some time, but you will be welcomed in the village before the darkest part of the night. »

Yao was quick to take her equipment from the back of the Humvee. In her heart, there was mix of excitement, hope and urgency that was pushing her to start running down the trail towards the canyon and leaving everyone behind. But she had to keep herself in check as she was the one guiding the men and women that were going to save her people.

« Understood, replied the Lieutenant who was checking his own gear. We are not going to move from here. Just don't take too long. »

« You can count on me, Sir. »

And after a respectful bow, she finally walked away towards the canyon, still fighting her need of running to not trip on a rock.

The now static convoy was now buzzing with activity as everyone was running around to unload all the heavy crates. And all the noises were loud enough to wake up the girl that had been sleeping on the hard bench of the lead vehicle. At first, she was a little lost. She was alone in the car, she did not know where she was and all her muscles were hurting. But after a few seconds of confusion, she finally started to pick up familiar friendly voices. With a bit of difficulty linked to the cramped space, she stood off the bench and stepped off the vehicle onto rocky ground, looking around for someone.

But it seemed like he was the one to find her.

« Ah, Tuka. Good to see that you are awake. »

The sudden call coming from behind startled her. Quickly, she turned around to see her father slowly walking toward her with a crate of heavy equipment between his hands.

« Where are we ? » she asked as she looked around her, only to see the sad desolation of rocky mountains.

« Near Schwartz. Yao went on in front to tell her tribe that we are coming. So for now, we are just unloading the vehicles. »

He had replied with a large smile before putting down his load on the ground. Her gaze then went towards the trail and the large canyon that it lead to. And the more she looked, the more she needed to ask a question.

« There is not a single tree in sight… Why are Elves living here ? »

« Survival. »

A single, simple, yet powerful word that pushed across what he had made out of the situation.

« Survival ? »

« Yeah… When people are faced with that sort of hardships, they will adapt to whatever situation to stay alive and make it through. After all, if they do not adapt, they will die. That canyon must be providing them with enough of what they need… At least enough to give us time to arrive. »

He wanted to take her as an example. In the last few months, the destruction of her own village had forced her to adapt to a more urban way of life in Alnus. But talking about this period of time was bound to kick start another panic attack, so he simply kept quiet. And it felt like it was for the better as the Elf also remained silent, gazing at the landscape and wondering how different the lifestyle of the Dark Elves was.

So, slowly, he picked up the crate back up and walked away towards where other similar boxes had been piled up. They had carried quite the payload with them, too much if you asked anyone. But in a way, it was reassuring to know that if they missed, they had the means to try again.

Someone then arrived from behind as he was still down and tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

« Lieut… »

Anthony had already started to turn, but the instant the first sounds of his rank reached his ears, he sprung around to mask the speaker's mouth. And upon doing so, he was met with the surprised eyes of Jordan who had clearly not expected this action.

« Don't call me that, whispered Anthony while discreetly pointing towards Tuka. She's calm so far and I don't want another meltdown. »

The American sergeant nodded and the Lieutenant unblocked his mouth.

« Yeah… Hum… Just giving a heads up that I need to take a piss behind a rock somewhere. »

It seemed so trivial that it felt like a pull back towards the reality of his position as squad leader.

« Oh… Ok. Just take someone with you and don't take too long. We need all hands we can get here. »

Jordan gave another nod before turning around, looking for someone free enough to tag along. And it seemed that luck was on his side as he saw John, wiping off dirt and dust off the headlights of the P4.

« Hey Cavendish, come with me. I need you to watch my back for a short bit. »

Without questioning the order, he stood up and followed the sergeant away from the convoy. And once they were out of earshot, they finally had a small chance to freely speak their minds.

« Man… That whole father thing is fucked up. »

John was far from hiding his feelings as Jordan started to do his business between two large rocks.

« Well that ain't really our business, is it ? »

« Yeah… But still. I can't help but feel really bad for her. Everyone knows everything isn't straight in her head, but it's frustrating not being able to do anything. »

The sergeant shook his head.

« I see what you mean. But that's what it is. Can't always be there to solve everyone's problems. At least she's here. Might be worth it to give it a shot. I doubt that red son of a bitch is going to pull that much of a fight anyway. »

John chuckled before replying.

« Yeah… Ten quid we won't even need the airstrike to finish him off. »

« Oooh… Are you really ready to bet on that ? I never forget when people owe me things. »

« Come on ! One rocket was enough to blow his bloody arm off, and look how many we have with us. »

With his stuff done, Jordan turned back around, ready to give his own opinion on the matter. But he stopped himself, which obviously confused the Brit. Before he could ask anything, he got his own answer as the sound of a light rumble reached his ears.

It was just like someone was lightly walking over the rocks. And it could not have been coming from the rest of the team as they were far from hearing distance. They both quickly brought their weapons up, ready to engage whatever was near them.

But it was not long until they both heard something else, this time coming from the stopped convoy.

« Contact ! »

« Shit ! » yelled Jordan as he started to run, John right on his heels.

They were not very far, yet it felt like an eternity before the vehicles reappeared in their vision, surrounded by unidentified figures using the rocks to gain the high ground. All the figures were wielding bows and arrows pointed directly at the soldiers who, in response, were pointing their rifles towards them.

« Recon Three Actual, this is Recon Three Four. We're overlooking the situation from the south. What's the situation ? »

Down below, they could see the Lieutenant reaching for his radio to reply.

« Stay where you are and keep your eyes open. I am going to try and calm things down. Keep me updated on anything suspicious. »

« Understood. »

Hearts started beating faster as everyone stressfully anticipated the situation to evolve into a bloody fight at any moment. But in a strange way, it was also thrilling. After a long and calm period spent in and around Alnus, they were all finally going to see some action, much to the excitement of a certain person dressed in black.

« Lower your weapons ! We are not hostile ! »

The Lieutenant launched those words to the figures. He knew they would not back down immediately, but he was at least hoping to initiate a discussion with the unidentified bowmen.

However, unidentified was not really the best term to describe them. They were obviously Dark Elves, but the million dollar question was if they were members of Yao's group of survivors or hostile rogue elements.

« You are not going to take anything else from us ! We have already warned you once, and we will not warn you again ! »

It was the Dark Elf closest to the convoy who shouted those words with a heavy accent. And instead of rising or lowering the tension, it just added to the confusion.

« Lower your weapons. We are not here to take anything. We are here to help. »

« You already said that last time ! And when we turned our back, you attacked us ! »

From their concealed position, the two hidden soldiers could perfectly hear the shouts.

« Last time ? » commented John after counting all the targets he could see.

« They're probably taking us for someone else. »

« Yeah… But who ? »

« Why don't you go ask them yourself ? »

« Thanks, but no. Don't want to get an arrow in my face. »

And even if the two kept quiet after that, they were still thinking about it. One of the consequences of using camouflaged uniforms was that it made all Task Force troops extremely recognizable. So how were they, and their vehicles, taken for something they were clearly not ?

« Recon Three Four, how many tangos have you spotted ? »

The question came from the radio, and John was already reaching for his own microphone to give the needed reply. But he did not say anything as he heard something in the background.

And Jordan had heard it too as they both turned their heads towards where it came from.

« Recon Three Four, do you copy ? How many targets are there ? »

At first, both could not see anything. They could only hear a sound not unlike something large swinging in the air.

However, the most worrying part was that this sound was growing louder by the second.

« Recon Three Four ! Answer me, dammit ! »

But it was not long until the source of that noise appeared from behind the mountain.

« Recon Three Actual, we have the dragon incoming ! I repeat, dragon incoming ! »

Jordan had shouted as strongly as his lungs allowed him to shout, but it was not enough as the red figure flew over their heads and landed near the patrol and the Dark Elves.

Its sudden appearance had a shocking effect on everyone. Out of either surprise or terror, nobody was moving as the giant lizard let out a great roar to intimidate its prey even more. At least it was before one of the Dark Elves snapped and started launching arrows after arrows towards the beast. Had it been able to, it would probably have laughed before hitting the Elf with a simple swing of its heavy arm.

All of had happened so fast that it was only at this moment that the soldiers started to open fire.

« The eyes ! Aim for the eyes ! » yelled Johann as he adjusted his bipod on the hood of the VBL.

As expected, the feeling of the numerous small impacts near its eye forced it to raise its arm. The maneuver was denying it the ability to get the green vehicles in the range of his attacks. However, they were not alone.

The other Dark Elves had started to spread out, looking for cover. But some had underestimated the speed which it could take off and catch them. And the results were far from being pretty as it started to burn its preys alive.

« Putain ! We have to bring it back down ! »

Despite the thunderous noise of automatic gunfire, Pierre's remark did not fall on deaf ears.

Rory sprung out of her cover and jumped on the hood of the lead Humvee.

« I am going to take care of that. You know what to do next. »

Without even waiting for a reply or a confirmation, she shifted her stance to get as much strength in her right hand holding her halberd. Her left arm was extended straight as a way to get a better aim.

She stayed in this position for quite a while, only rotating her torso to keep up with the movements of the flying creature. But it was just a bit too far for her throw to be certain to hit.

« Come on ! Hurry up for fucks sake ! »

« Get a little closer for me… Come on… Come on… Now ! »

In the blink of an eye, her arm came back forward like a loaded spring, launching the heavy halberd like it was a wooden dart from a ballista. Everyone looked at the black projectile, which got closer to the moving dragon. And at the last second, it finally noticed the object closing in and tried to dodge it.

« Got you ! » she giggled with glee.

Despite all its attempts, the only thing that its movement did was changing the point of impact from the center of its body to the back of its neck, a part covered in heavier and thicker scales. However, the weapon had not been launched to pierce its natural armor.

Instead, it unbalanced the dragon just enough to make it crash heavily on the rocky mountain side.

« Alright ! Your turn now ! »

« Got it ! » replied Anthony as he sprung out from his cover and rushed towards the piles of crates. As quickly as he could, he flipped open the latches that kept one of the containers closed and pulled off the top of the box, revealing several rocket launchers tightly packed together.

When the dragon had appeared, Tuka had frozen in place. It was not really the fear of the beast that prevented her from moving. Instead, it was the overwhelming emotions that stormed her mind that glued her feet on the ground. When the first shots were fired, a hand had reached for her arm and pulled her behind cover.

« Tuka, can you hear me ? »

Despite the surrounding chaos, the voice that had asked the question had been calm and soft. Like it was void of emotion.

« Le… Lelei ? »

« Look at me and do not move. I am here. Everything is going to be fine. »

« It… It… It's the beast that... »

« Breathe in and breathe out slowly. »

But there was so much going on all around that she just could not understand the words said by the young mage.

« Father… Where is my Father ? Where is he ? »

She tried to stand up to look for him among the soldiers, but Lelei was quick to reach for her shoulders, preventing her from moving. She struggled to break free, yet she could not do anything. At least until a familiar figure appeared from behind the corner of a vehicle.

« Tuka ! Come with me ! »

She could not see his face very well because of the helmet that was on his head. However, what she could see very well was the large brown tube he was carrying. And as he came closer, he was pulling off caps and sliding movable parts of the tube.

« What is happ... »

She was not able to finish her question when he arrived to her level and pulled her away from the cover. Lelei did not try to prevent this and let go of the Elf.

It was only when they were a few meters away from the vehicle that they stopped and that she saw the giant dragon on the ground, struggling to stand back up from seemed to be a very strong crash. This sight was enough to freeze her back up. Even in this vulnerable state, it still seemed so dangerous. Her rigidity ceased when she felt something heavy suddenly being put on her right shoulder. She turned her head only to see the tube that her Father had been carrying. And it was only at this moment that she realized what it was.

« What is happening ? »

He did not reply. Instead, he slid of two small covers, allowing the launcher sights to spring in position, before pulling the cocking lever situated on top of the tube. He then reached for her own hands and brought them over the controls of the weapon.

« Back blast clear ! » he shouted after taking a quick glance over his own shoulder.

« What are you doing ? »

She had yelled her question louder than anything she had ever yelled before. And it proved successful as he finally said something. But it was something that deep down, she did not want to hear.

« That thing has burned down your village ! It killed your Father ! You can get your revenge if you press that fire button ! »

« What are you saying ? You… You… You are here… »

She faltered out of pure confusion, turning her head to look directly into his eyes. She hoped she would see in them a reassuring answer.

She only found the painful truth.

« I am not your father ! I am not even an Elf ! You know it but you try to deny it ! Now do me a favor and blow that thing up before it flies off ! »

Down range, the large red figure slowly started to rise back up. It still had difficulties moving, but it would be long until the bloodbath started again.

« No… No… I can't… You lie ! »

Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Terror, grief, pain, anger, denial. All those emotions had suddenly surged in her mind and she was not able to cope with it.

« Come on ! Do it ! »

« He… He is not… » she faltered with a voice that was quickly drowning in her own tears.

Meanwhile, the dragon was fully back on its legs. They did not have time left.

« Putain de merde… Rocket ! »

His fingers were placed directly over her own, which were already on the weapon controls. So it was not hard for him to force her to press down the safety mechanism and push the small red button.

There was almost no recoil as the propulsion charge detonated within the launcher, causing the eighty-four millimeter projectile to fly out of the barrel. But if there was not a lot of movement, there was a lot of sound, deafening Tuka.

She was far from being the only one that heard the sound of the launch. The dragon turned its head in the direction of the two and jumped in the air by reflex. The next second, his large wings were violently whipping the air to get it airborne and the rocket landed on the barren rock, the shaped charge exploding on nothing more than rock and dust.

A few dozen meters in the air, the large beast let out a terrifying scream before turning away from the convoy and flying behind the mountains. The sound of his flight became fainter before dying completely a few seconds later. And during all of this time, everybody remained silent and static.

The silence was finally broken when the launcher loudly fell on the ground. Tuka's leg soon failed her and she fell on her knees too. And with her hands holding her face, she continued to cry.

« I do not want to… I want to go home… I want to go home… »

All looks turned towards her and her father who knelt down next to her. He softly wrapped his arms around her body before patting the top of her head with his hand covered by a combat glove.

« Shhh… It's fine. It will soon be over. Everything is going to be fine. »

And despite saying those words with his softest voice, he was himself doubting that he was saying the truth.

Unnamed canyon, A few miles north of Schwartz woods, February 24th 2017, 2250 AT

« I'm telling you, this thing is slowly starting to become a shit show… »

Most of the team was sitting in a circle around a large campfire. A good portion of the soldiers had already pulled the second half of their daily food ration out of their backpacks while others still had their stomachs tied up like a knot. Some had left to take a stroll down the small stream that had carved the canyon over the centuries. The rest were cleaning up their equipment that had been stressed quite a bit in the gunfight against the dragon.

All of this had happened in an almost religious silence, until Muhammad's comment that, for many, felt clearly unnecessary.

« Calm down, private. » replied Daniella that was dusting off the bolt of her rifle.

« Come on. The objective is already hard enough in itself, we really don't need to drag along civilians. I mean we had the opportunity to blow it up back then, but no. We had to wait for the Lieutenant to try to be a hero and the fucker got away without a scratch. »

« Maybe you have a better idea then. I'm listening. What would you do to help Tuka ? »

Her tone had become tenser.

« I have a better idea, yeah. Leaving her at Alnus so that she isn't in our way would have been the smart thing to do. We're only making her more and more insane. »

« Look. We either let her slowly self-destruct or we try something that might work. »

As the two British verbally clashed, everyone else remained silent. Each member of the team had their opinion on the situation, but at that point no one dared to speak up.

Muhammad shook his head before replying to his superior.

« Better idea or not, she's here. I don't think she should, but there's no point in talking about it now. »

There was not much she could say after that. They all knew they were in this together and that tensions would only make everything even harder for everyone. So, she reassembled her rifle and stood up.

« I'm going to see how she is doing. »

Without hurry, she walked away from the group and headed towards another campfire. There were only four people around the smaller pile of burning wood, and Daniella silently sat next to the only one wearing a camouflaged uniform.

He was looking tired despite the cup of coffee he was holding in his hand. He did not really seem interested in the black drink as he lightly brushed the long hair of the Elf that was asleep next to him, her head on his leg.

« So ? How is she ? » she finally asked after a long few seconds of silence.

« She's been sleeping for a small while now. I just hope we will be able to end all of this really soon. »

The British soldier did not reply because she did not really have anything to add. Instead, she looked at the other side of the fire, towards the remaining two.

Rory was carefully examining her own weapon. The critical throw she had realized earlier had scratched the fancy engravings on the handle and the blade quite a bit and she was smoothing things up for her own handling comfort with what looked like a shiny stone. It was only then that Daniella noticed something that seemed extremely out of place.

« Is that me or have you changed boots ? »

The Apostle put down her halberd and her tool before extending her leg to give the soldier a better look with the light of the flames.

« Indeed. It was not cheap to make them come to Alnus, but those tactical boots have proven to be worth the price I paid for them. They are way more comfortable than what the monks usually make for me. I also got myself this fine pair of gloves. »

The Staff Sergeant smiled as she looked at the pair of Rangers and the pair of Oakleys. Now, even the representative of the god of warfare on Earth was starting to use fancy modern equipment.

« But don't you have to follow some kind of dress code or something ? »

« Well if I were to follow all the texts by the letter, then yes. But as long as I stay with something of roughly the same aesthetic, the priests do not say anything. I wonder how they would have reacted had they seen me in Alnus wearing more casual clothing. »

« It's not like they can force you to do anything... » simply commented Anthony before taking a small sip from his cup.

« Me being an Apostle does not prevent them from being able to be extremely annoying when something sticks out too much. »

They all shared a chuckle, except for Lelei who was like in her own bubble. With the formulas she was muttering, she was raising up rocks before throwing them towards natural targets like small dry bushes or small piles of rubble. And if she managed to hit her target, she would try again by giving more speed to the projectile until the branches snapped or the pile was knocked over. It might have been pretty rudimentary, but it was clear what it was.

Target practice.

She looked so focused on improving her abilities that nobody dared to bother her. So, they all remained silent for a few minutes, enjoying a calm they had not felt in a while. Anthony took another sip of his coffee as he looked towards the cliff. The natural stone wall was pierced in many places by the many entries of what seemed like a complex maze of caves. With most of the openings lit up by torches, the canyon looked like the facade of a very rudimentary skyscraper. And at each window, the Dark Elves were watching them. They were too far away for him to see their faces, but it was pretty easy to imagine their curiousness towards the strange people that were apparently going to save them from the Fire Dragon.

Slowly, a small group of silhouettes closed in on them from the biggest opening in the cliff. When the light from the fire started to glow on their faces, Anthony recognized Yao among them. But she remained on the side as an older man started to talk.

« Heroes, he said with a serious tone. Our elders will conduct a ceremony for our goddess and we would be honored to have you participate. »

Anthony nodded and stood up, careful to put his bag where he was as a pillow for Tuka.

« And we will be honored to be a part of it. But sadly I do not think all of us will participate. I will come with you with a few of my men. The others need to rest and keep care of their equipment. »

« I understand. You have already fought a difficult battle and you will encounter many more on the path ahead. Rest is essential. »

The Elf that had spoken bowed with deep respect as the Lieutenant headed towards the rest of his team and came back with Jordan, Johann and Mary. But before they could get going, a younger Dark Elf of the group asked a question, his look turned toward Rory who was reaching out to what remained within the cup of coffee.

« Your Holiness, do you not wish to join us ? »

« Boy, if you really are worshippers of Hardy, it should appear obvious to you, or at least to your elders, why I must refuse your invitation. »

At first, the young seemed a bit confused, but the dark looks he received from his older companions, especially from Yao, quickly made it clear to him that he had asked the wrong question at the wrong time.

« We will show you the way. »

Silently, they all walked back towards the cliff and into the opening from which they had come from. The walls and ceiling of that natural corridor were covered with paintings and engravings of varying sizes and complexity, all dimly lit by torches. Some were representing scenes of the daily lives of Dark Elves while others depicted what looked like the myths of old. In a strange way, Anthony was feeling the exact same way as he had felt when he was a kid visiting Lascaux for the first time. And as they continued, the odor of incent was getting more and more noticeable.

The corridor opened up into a large room, and the four soldiers were all taken aback by the crowd that was packed in it. Despite the density of people, they managed to split up to create a path to the front, where a group of older Elves with religious attires was waiting for them. With a few hand gestures, Yao indicated the four to stand next to the elders, facing the crowd, while those that had escorted them here disappeared in it.

« What do we do now, Lieutenant ? » whispered Johann in his superior's ear.

« For now, we just smile and wave. Hearts and minds and all that shit. »

They might have been there to kill a dragon, but he knew that the higher ups always appreciated when the reconnaissance squads did some publicity for the Task Force.

« We are all gathered here tonight, started one of the elders, to celebrate the arrival of the great heroes that will liberate us from the beast that roams the skies of our mountains. And with our prayers to Hardy through the blood of the earth, we shall ensure them success in the upcoming battle. »

Had he not been watched by at least a hundred people, Anthony would have chuckled. He doubted that those chants would make plastic explosives detonate better, but he still appreciated the intent.

The elder that was opposite from the group of soldiers had at his feet a large bowl that contained some black liquid. The old elf picked it up before dipping some of his fingers in the liquid and making some marks on his face. When he finished, he handed the bowl to the old woman next to him and she did the same. This continued until the elder that was next to Jordan painted her own face and gave the jar to the American. With all the respect he had, he took the container and was about to imitate the elders but stopped before his fingers touched the black surface. Instead, he brought it closer to his nose to dissociate its smell from the incent.

And the next second, he turned his head towards the rest of the squad with a large smile.

« We're back in Texas, baby ! »

Hello and thanks for reading the twenty-ninth chapter of Gate : Opération Marteau de Justice.

It is still more build up for the big dragon fight, but I think most of you are still going to find it interesting as you discover what I changed to fit and entire reconnaissance squad in the position of only one man in the source material. I also want to indicate that I am not going to end Delilah's storyline just yet. There are a few original scenes I have in mind to fill a few gaps here and there. But I must say, what I'm the most excited to write about is what comes after the fight with the dragon. Some of my ideas for modifications are more than an year old and I just can't wait to reach that point.

Now I'm off to write the fourth chapter for my other story. If you ever told yourself that Darling in the FranXX could have been great were it not for the stupid engineering on display, they you should probably give it a try. Check out my profile for the link to the first chapter. If I can keep my current pace, you should expect the next OMJ chapter in about three months.

Anyway, thanks a lot again for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter.