Cain Jai Numi's Story

Nine hours before present time......

Cain woke up early today. His eyes crept open and gazed at the darkness that surrounded him as he reached for a switch. He groaned as he stood up and took his back away from the comfort of the wall. He never did need a watch. Years of training and continuous missions gave him the ability to wake up whenever he saw fit. He was already dressed as he walked inside the cave. Today was the day. The day of the big meeting between representatives from each nation. The details of why weren't of much concern to him. All he had to do was to make sure the royalty was safe. He grabbed his communicator and called his father.

"Hello." The familiar raspy voice answered.
"I'm in route to Benjlakki. Confirm my positions." He gave a cold tone in return.
"Yes. Five points. We'll go by the alphabet. Alpha Bravo are in the east. Charlie Delta are to the west. Echo to the north."
"I'll take south."
"Remember the map?"
Click
He hung up. Of course he remembered the map. He studied the territory for years. He knew the District of Justicra like the back of his hand. He resented his fathers cry at being caring. He looked at his watch and sighed. Today would be a long day.

Present time.......

He wasn't tired. Nor could he say he was bored. The many people walking around kept him busy. He loved it when a good plan came together. Over the course of nine months he set up AI rifles around the locations fixed with camera's. The reason he took south was because that way he would have a clear look at the royal family of Metargo. At least where they were supposed to sit. To the naked eye he would look like a sniper set to go against the Metargo, but, in reality he was there to protect them. If he was caught he would escape and no one could trace him back to the Lion Team. He even wore his mask.
It was weird. He only felt normal with the mask on. Everything else felt fake.

Even with it on, he could see the prince from about five clicks away. (Kilometers) He seemed to be acting normal which meant everything was alright. So far. He had been sitting in that spot for more than five hours. His body was used to it though. He could even fall asleep without moving his position one inch if he felt the need. He was prepared to stay there a whole day as needed. He was The furthest point away from the meeting point. The AI systems were good, but he was better. Not to mention the fact that there were lots of obstacles in the way of the shot. Only a person like him could make a shot like that. He glanced up and watched as a bird landed on the railing of room he was in. It looked nice. So peaceful. The only thing going threw his mind was not wanting to have to shoot his weapon. Not because of the killing, but because the bird would go away. It would go away and never come back. Just like his brother.

Zechariah nodded occasionally to confirm he was listening. Metargo Capitag'hk, coming from Azalea's mouth, sounded like a nice city, yet the towers blocking the sky so much would take some getting used to. Shrugging, he answered her question with, "Nah, I can't think of anything specific." Finishing off his bagel, he thought on what to discuss, next. As he thought on it, he saw a pair of birds building a nest at a nearby tree. If only we could be like them and not worry about what other people think. The mere recollection on the reality of what both the Benjlakki and Metargo would say to them being together gave him a saddened frown. One of these days, Zechariah. Soon, it will be safe. It is just a matter of time. All this political stuff needs to fade away, first, is all.

------

Benjamin grinned a little. for some odd reason, he felt a lot calmer, less intense. Of course, he was a sucker for innocent-looking people, yet he felt even more so around this woman, and he could not place a finger on why. Nodding, Benjamin showed her around town, including some of the major sites, such as Justicra Library, where books on countless topics were found (even a ton of old newspapers and recordings).Last, but not least, the bakery next to Diplomacy Square. "My brother and I came here, once in a while, during our first time in this city for mech piloting training. Everything in this bakery is handmade."

------

Kyle looked behind him and saw Catrina walking away, which made him snap his fingers in disappointment. "Drat."

Aaron simply rolled his eyes. "You can't get your mind off of women, can you?"

"I try."

Aaron glanced over at a nearby clock. "Well, we may need to get going back to the gate we came through. I don't know when the conference will end, so we're better safe than sorry."

He led all both Kyle and May back to where they were at the gate to see Zechariah and Azalea on the bench together. At this point, Aaron's cold façade faded just by reflecting on what all Zechariah said. His face expressed subtle signs of regret at ever being so harsh towards the Eagle of Mercy, whom would prefer not to be preferred as such. Kyle was the first to notice.

"Hey, sergeant? You seem to be down, a little."

Aaron glanced in Kyle's direction. "What makes you say that?"

Kyle smirked. "Oh, come on! You hardly ever let that cold façade go away. What's eating you?"

"Nothing."

Shrugging, the perverted Private told him, "Okay, but if you ever want to talk about it, let us know."

-----

Agathe took a sip of iced, decaffeinated coffee, to refresh after having arrived at the District of Justicra. She had many things to attend to before arriving so late, such as reconfiguring the 9H-K Red Bolt via spells so that it could handle magic ammo and projectiles, plus give off a magic blade where plasma would be, since plasma is still a mystery to most Mysticarans. She felt Cam Broch has been dealt a bad hand and could use a friend. Fertaninn had quite a beauty of its own, she had to admit, with all the farms, bizarre windmills, communities which thrive on solar energy, and all sorts of natural wildlife and plantlife native only to Benjlakk. The towns were amazing, as well, with all the different arrays of buildings and gardens, plus the occasional fountains and pools. She loved it all.

Agathe decided to use a spell she developed which would allow her to see different sites of the city without having to move about. Frankly, she eventually spotted a Metargo soldier armed with a sniper rifle looking onwards toward a window in the Conference Hall, which gave her some concern. Who would risk the wrath of Benjlakk doing what she thought the man was doing? Then again, he could have been doing something else, yet she had no clue. At any rate, she was compelled to go see this man. Her teleportation worked just fine, her winding up behind the man without a sound. Granted, she wondered how much longer it would be before matters got out of hand, as she took a large enough risk teleporting behind him.

Hesitantly, she tapped him on the shoulder while shyly saying, "Hello? I-Is everything okay? I mean, Benjlakk doesn't want any violence, and they are strict about enforing their polices so... there's nothing to worry about, right?" Agathe took a few steps back at noticing the mask. It was one she was familiar with from reading a book on the Metargo military while bored. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

----

Saul smiled towards Calida ever so gently. Her response was not what he expected, given how she mistook part of what he said, yet he realized he should have worded it differently. At any rate, his wife was correct in that Leonardo should not be treated like a boy. Yet, it did nothing to ease his remorse, overall, at how he was not particularly fatherly towards their son. He hid that well with his closed-mouth grin as he waited for everyone to be seated so that President Anderson could give commence with the continuation of the meeting.

Cain laid, motionless on the ground. His left eye was glued to the visor of his mask. The screen displayed five screens, all of which were coming from the meeting area. He acknowledged the safety of the king, queen, and prince. Letting out a small breath breath and looked on with his right eye. Seeing as no one was inside of the room yet, he deduced that the meeting hadn't started yet.

Why have a meeting anyway. We'll never see eye to eye. Magic and science don't mix and those who only want peace are basically pigs for the slaughter. That's what dad said.

This may have been one of the reasons why him and his dad never truly bonded. His father was always to much of a realist for him. No. Not a realist. He was just one of those men who had always seen things in a bad light. Cain wondered what did he himself believe in.

Do I believe in anything? How do I know I'm even alive?

He thought of his brother too. He remembered the day he left. The blood he spilled. The look on his face.

For the first time he looked happy.

There was a sudden movement that made him twitch his trigger finger, snapping him out of his thoughts. Of course the rifle was on safe. The bird seen to have jerked a little bit. Cain almost knew what was coming next, but for some reason he didn't move an inch. Maybe if it was someone who was against him then that someone would slit his throat and give him the death someone like him deserves. Then again maybe it wasn't someone fowl at all. He sure didn't sense anything of that nature. He felt a tap on his shoulder. The sound of a female echoed in his ears as he stood still without saying a word. She then took a few steps back and apologized of all things.

He decided to call his side of the mission done for now, after all there were still five more AI powered rifles around. But, he doubted he would've used those anyway.
Standing up, he slowly took off his mask and let out a sigh before opening his eyes and giving the girl a gentlemen like smile. "Oh. There's no need to apologize." He calmly said. "I wasn't doing anything of importance really. I just don't like crowds so I chose to watch the meeting from up here. Plus, I also got to train having stayed in that position. Thanks for your kindness though, miss...?" He decided to go with the friendly approach. He told himself he wasn't a killer anymore. He was a guard. He wouldn't kill anyone as long as they weren't a threat to the Magistrate. He stuck out his hand as he asked her name.

((The meeting has started. There was just a break from it, for a bit.))

Agathe nearly blushed at the sight of the man with his mask off. In her mind, she was thinking of him as handsome. Of course, she realized that if the peace talks failed, she would probably have to face him, at some point. At first, when the man held out his hand, she did not know what to do. Yet, she quickly realized this was how they greeted each other. She hesitantly placed her hand in his for the shake. "Agathe. Agathe Erasmus." She did not know what to do, nor what to say. But, somehow, she felt something around him. What was it?

-----

President Anderson waited until everyone was seated prior to speaking. "Well, everyone, we have come to the point where we determine what each person representing their country decides on this union being formed. Marcus Pericles?"

Marcus stood up to speak. "I must say, I feel Chieftain Nedilo has a point. This war did escalate dramatically. It will not be easy to convince the Council to agree to this union. As fro what I think on this, I will have to give it some more thought when I head back to Mysticara."

President Anderson nodded before motioning for Saul to say his piece, next. The King had this to say: "Prime Minister Lopez is a proud man. It would be no simple feat to convince him this proposed union would be the correct course of action, either. He truly does believe Mysticara to be a backwards society. Such a mentality is difficult to break. Personally, I would have to agree with Chieftain Nedilo and Miss Aspiral. The question is, will Parliament share that opinion? I suppose we shall find out, soon enough."

Howard nodded before posing a another query. "What does Queen Calida think about this scenario?"

"Agathe Erasmus." He repeated taking a mental note in his head to do some research on the name later. By looking ay her you could clearly tell she was from Mysticara.

I see, I didn't but the magic jamming technology in place. He thought to himself for a brief moment. "I'm Cain. Cain Jai Numi."
He wasn't against giving his name out. Mostly because he lived for seventeen years under an alias, and partly because all you could find on him was that he was the only one unscathed in the Metargo slaughtering four years ago, and the one who did the slaughtering was his brother. All that is of course true. He put his mask back on his face momentarily to see how things were going. Out of the five cameras everything looked safe. He didn't bother trying to read their lips. He didn't care what had to be said. Dropping the mask on the floor he stepped on and broke it. He turned to Agathe. "Well since my training ended in a failure do you wanna get something to eat. I'm starving." There was no way for him to complete the task. He would just have to rely on the AI systems.

Zechariah glanced in Azalea's direction with a soft grin. "It should not be too long before we can behave like a real couple. Tensions between Benjlakk and Metargo don't usually last for more than a few years." He glanced back at the tree with the birds while he spoke, his grin somewhat faltering at the thought of the pattern. "It's sort of always the same story: Every century or so, someone leads an invasion upon us due to Fertaninn's surplus of crops, the invasion force is defeated, and a treaty is signed to try to remove the shortage problems of the time. After that, it's usually a few years before things cool down."

----

Aaron felt May's hand on his arma nd blushed. This turn, his face was redder than usual whenever May touched him. He kept calm, though, while he shrugged. "I have no idea. It really depends on how long those politicians and such keep at it. I'll bet there has been some sort of child-like argument, at this point. At any rate, we should stick close to this area and keep an eye open for any assassins."

Kyle expressed every hint of disappointment. "Ah, man! that's no fun!"

----

Benjamin nodded. "Yep. Everything is freshly baked, and they do a great job at making what they do. Come on, let's go inside."

The head baker welcomed the two and made small chatter before asking what they would like. Benjamin ordered a croissant and a cup of vanilla latte. He then glanced in Clarrissa's direction. "Well, see anything you like?"

----

Gracchus listened to both Oriana and Sandra. They both seemed to have a point. When President Anderson motioned for him to speak, next, the elf rose to share his opinion. "Well, I cannot speak for all the Tribal Forces, as they are mainly under the control of their chieftains, making coordination with one another a necessity. This is actually the first time a Head Councilor has been given as much authority over some aspects of the Mysticaran Tribal Forces as Marcus Pericles was. However, I can speak for most of my troops in the Natrulkra Tribal Force. Yes, we fought because many of us believed it was necessary to preserve the natural balance in Myrstarkia, yet we witnessed our efforts having the opposite effect. Admiral Lionel of the Benjlakki Navy is not joking when she says everything and everyone felt the effects of the war. People are abandoning their homelands, creatures of the land, air, and sea are on the brink of extinction, desolation is spreading, and individuals everywhere are suffering for it all. Even Feliniri, an out-of-the way subcontinent of a nation, is being torn from within by the conflict. Unless both sides lower their arms soon, Angels of the Deity help us as we realize how much everyone truly lost to the entire scenario."

Gracchus said what he had to, so he sat down to await the results of his brief speech. Although, his ears being so great at hearing, he had a hunch from what little he heard from Malinha and Leonardo's conversation that Prince Leonardo might dismiss the idea of a union or the lowering of arms.

President Anderson nodded before motioning for Leonardo. "Since you are a leader within the Metargo Military, what is your opinion on this, Prince Leonardo?"

----

Agathe blushed a little when she heard Cain ask if she wanted to come with him for a bite to eat somewhere. Is he... asking me out on a date? Me, a Mysticaran, when he could be asking out a Metargo girl without any trouble? Why would he want to spend time with me? She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded with a soft smile. "Sure. I walked past a bakery just outside of Diplomacy Square which makes everything from scratch. I hear that same bakery also makes some great deli sandwiches, whatever they are. Follow me."

Along the way, when she and Cain reached a less crowded area right next to a gate, she noticed Zechariah and Azaalea sitting on a bench together. She immediately noticed both of them, making a note to tell Malinha that it was Zechariah Malachi that was in a relationship with the Metargo Princess. I don't know why my Chieftain thinks their relationship an affair, since they are not even married or cheating on anyone. The only reason that couple would be hiding their relationship would be because of the current tensions between Metargo and Benjlakk from the Benjlakki region of Fertaninn being invaded a couple years ago.

Once at the bakery, Agathe saw Zechriah's brother, Benjamin Malachi, with a white-haired woman and already ordering something from the baker. The Mysticaran woman looked towards Cain with her soft smile. "I guess we can look at what this place has on the menu while we wait. I hear they make some great coffee, as well."

It seemed everything was going well for Cain. He managed to destroy his mask and leave no trace of him besides for the girl. It would've been wise to ditch her on the way to the bakery. However, he did feel a tad bit hungry and baked goods were always a delight.

"Oh really. Coffee huh. I'm not really into caffeine." He paused for a second. "But I guess I'll have some decaf if they put cocoa in it."

He pulled her chair out for her and sat down afterwards looking around the area.

Benjamin Malachi, brother of Zechriah Malachi. Zechriah is the boyfriend of the princess. Right now the princess is being guarded by my current unit.

He took a sip of his coffee as he noted his outlook. "This isn't half bad." He said softly. His eyes traced over to Agathe. She wasn't an unattractive female in the least bit. In fact her whole aura seemed lovely to him. He leaned in on the table.

"So tell me. How come you're not evasive of me? I am a Metargo after all. It seems quite weird that a woman would go off with a stranger especially a stranger in affiliation with a country that has disputes with her own.

Zechariah was about to say something along the lines of confirming there are people who think it ridiculous, yet Azalea took back her query by stating it was not an intelligent one. He decided to change the subject to make things less uncomfortable. "My hometown is along the coastline, at the southern part of the Bloinkai Peninsula, in Southeastern Fertaninn. Like the rest of Fertaininn, it is a mainly agricultural area, with fishing making up another big portion of the town's economy. They don't go overboard with it, however, which is a good thing.

------

Kyle shrugged in response to what May said. "True. We've probably goofed off enough, already, anyway." With that, he chose a spot to stand watch and had his hand on his pistol in case of an assassination attempt. He was a pervert, that much was true, yet when he got serious, he meant business.

Meanwhile, Aaron heard what May said to him prior to shrugging. "I'm not mad. I-it's just... I have no clue, really... I seriously don't know." Clearing his throat, he added. "We should just focus on the task at hand."

------

Benjamin smiled towards Clarissa. "You're welcome." Looking around once the two of them received what they ordered and paid for it, he found a table. "Maybe we can sit over there together?"

------

Agathe kept her gentle smile while she and Cain sat together at a table enjoying what they ordered. The man's question, however, caught her a little off guard. It was a valid query, so she was not all that surprised. "Well, to be brutally honest, I am tired of all this fighting. It's getting us nowhere. Besides, I doubt many people would try to pull something while in Benjlakk, considering the long history its people have of conquering whole nations for violating their neutrality. As for other reasons... I don't know, really." Her eyes glanced downwards while her smile faded. I know there's another reason, but why can't I figure out what?

------

President Anderson did not hear any further discussion, which meant the meeting was basically adjourned. "Well, if nobody else wants to discuss this, then this conference is adjourned. I will be sure to tell the Senate within Congress the results of what transpired here. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the day. The festival should continue until sunset."

((I recommend Leo not meeting up with his sister until after Zech leaves her side due to something important cropping up. *hint hint* ))

Cain watched the girls smile fade. It almost made him snap out of his facade that he was wearing. He reached his hand over to her head and lightly poked her forehead with his finger. "Hey now," he chuckled, "don't go over thinking anything. Sure nothing good comes out of war but look at how things are now." He glanced at the people and the peace around them. Even looking at his very own people having fun with people of a different nation. "I'm pretty sure after the meeting is all said and done then the leaders of our nations will call a truce." He displayed a genuine smile at the idea. If their was a truce and the wars could finally end, he could say farewell to all of his past titles and focus on the one thing he cared about most. Finding his brother. He rested his gaze upon her. "So smile more often okay? You look more radiant when you smile."

Gracchus could not see Oriana or where she went, so he figured she went somewhere urgent or something. This left him disappointed, though he knew he still had to escort the Chieftain. Standing up and looking in her direction, he said, "well, there's no point staying in this building, now. We better pack up and get out of here to meet up with the Air and Ground Party. Most of them should be at the refreshment area of Diplomacy Square. Knowing Isaac, though, he may be somewhere away from that area, up to mischief or trouble or something. Hoefully, nobody got hurt while I was gone."

While escorting the Chieftain around Diplomacy Square, the elf thought about what Oriana said to him earlier. It stung, yet he expected it. Suddenly, a child pointed to him and said there was a cool 'wild man' nearby. Gracchus became curious and looked in the kid's direction, only to spot Oriana. This made him blush while he held his hands out to frantically say, "I wasn't following you, Oriana! Really, I wasn't! I am just escorting Chieftain Malinha!"

-----

Agathe gave a wide-eyed look towards Cain when he poked her. Listening to his words, she blushed when she was called radiant. She turned her head to the side, eyes closed, while shyly grinning. with her hand on her bottom lip. glancing back at him, her hands on the table, she told him. "I guess you're right. Benjlakk is known to be a mediator between countries. things will probably work for the better." She glanced around to see what Cain was referring to, her smile widening in pleasant surprise. "Oh, that's right! There are certainly a ton of people from across Myrstrarkia getting along! Even the Feliniri and Caninisians are doing quite well together here! Normally, their rivalry keeps them apart." Agathe place a finger at the side of her forehead while she glanced upwards. "Speaking of Caninisians, I wonder what Isaac is up to?" looking once again back at Cain, she told him with a smile. "He's like a little brother to me, a devious one at that." The woman giggled at the thought of the Caninisian sti9rring up some sort of trouble or mischief; it was very typical of him.

-----

Seaking of Isaac, a Feliniri Immigrant draftee in Brown Wing Team was patrolling an out of the way area of Diplomacy Square that consisted of trees and bushes. This tiger woman, Sarxas, decided it was safe to go on all fours and look around for anything to play with, her kitten mentality kicking in. A butterfly came by, so she pounced at it while cutely meowing and giggling. eventually, though, her eyes came upon a wolf which had the scent of sentience. Oh, crud... a Caninisian... Right when she thought she woke him up, she stood on her two feet while shouting, "I... I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to wake you up! I was just chasing a butterfly for a moment! I'm really sorry!" Her eyes became wide like a kitten's while she waited for the male Caninisian's response.

-----

Zechariah, Aaron, and Kyle were startled by the sound on feet landing on the concrete, quickly turning their eyes in the direction of the sound before Aaron sighed a breath of relief, the Sergeant of the Lion Team saying to May and Kyle, "It's just Private Alymer."

Kyle put away his pistol upon hearing it was Cralyn. "You should be more careful, buddy. We didn't know you were sitting on the roof of that building."

Zechariah sat back down with Azalea and hoped this Cralyn would not tell anyone of what he saw of the Eagle of Mercy and the Princess. Nothing naughty happened, but it would only take just one wrong witness of them together that for the secret of the relationship to spill out early. Hopefully, that would not be the case.

When the girls face blossomed in color as she turned her face Cain didn't quite know what to make of it. Had he done something out of character on accident. No he couldn't have. She must of been becoming fond of him. Although usually he wouldn't mind this time was a little different. He couldn't say that he wouldn't want to be with a woman of her caliber, but, at the same time, she was also sort of the enemy. He decided to follow his own advice and try to have some sort of fun. It wasn't in his character to think for himself but what the heck. He knew at least one little excursion wouldn't hurt.

At the mention of her brother a quick sad smile went across Cain's face. "Brother huh?" He quickly replaced it with a happier expression. "You wanna go look for him. I'm sure he's okay, but if he's a rowdy one as you say, we might want to go check up on him."

Zechariah felt the poke from Aza and snapped out of his anxiety, at least for the moment. He did not react to his hand only briefly being touched. Zecahriah calmed down further once Cralyn left. His soft grin return. "Yeah, jumpy kind of described that." After a small laugh, he posed the query, "You were saying?"

----

Aaron and Kyle went back to setting up a defensive perimeter to protect the Princess when Cralyn left. There was no point in leaving her without protection due to the possibility, however slight, of someone pulling something. Whatever happened, their current task was simple.

----

Benjamin noticed the light from Clarissa and went wide-eyed. Was that what he thought it was? Eventually, he decided he was only seeing things. Therefore, he did not ask about it. Instead he changed the subject. "So, Clarissa, is there anything you particularly enjoy doing in your spare time? I mean, travel is probably one of them, but..." He cleared his throat and tried to think of more to say, yet failed at it.

----

Agathe giggled a little at what Cain said. "Oh, we aren't related by blood, though I still have that sister mentality around him. Checking on him is easy enough for me. I know a spell which can help me observe things without being there." She closed her eyes, a blue ball of light forming in front of her so Cain could see what she was seeing. Seeing the refreshment section, she noticed Isaac was not sitting where he was before. After some random sites popped up, she finally spotted Isaac with a Feliniri girl whom was in a Benjlakki mech pilot uniform. This made Agathe laugh a bit. "Well, looks like he made a friend, or did he develop a crush on that tiger woman? Either way, it is kind of cute." When she opened her eyes, she glanced over at Cain with a soft grin. "You know, speaking of families, I am a little curious about yours. Pardon me if I am delving into something personal."

----

Sarxas' smile grew wider at seeing Isaac behave the way he was with his food. It reminded her so much of her adoptive brother. "Glad to hear that." Taking a few more bites of her own salmon, she noticed a butterfly come their way. It fluttered around the pair while she looked at it with undivided attention. Once it landed on her nose, the Feliniri girl giggled prior to the insect flying away. Turning her eyes toward Isaac with a slight grin, she said, "Sorry, I still have a lot of kitten in me."

----

President noticed the Admiral and grinned a little. Sandra was one of the more experienced naval officers he knew, one which he could respect more than the more rowdy individual which disrupted the conference after Leonardo spoke and threatened the order within the room. "I have time, Admiral Lionel. Is something the matter?"

----

Saul left the room with Calida and Leonardo. Once out the building, a few members of Lion Team were present to escort the trio. He made no mention of his lack of knowledge on why Leo was to be there, as it did not matter, at that point. He had suspiscions that Prime Minister Lopez may have withheld that information from the family, yet he could not prove it. Whatever the scenario, he focused on his family's protection while in the city, since the conference was over, and he realized one of the few idiots who tried anything could be dangerous. He was confident Azalea was well protected, though he had his own handy pistols in case of an assassination attempt. His eyes surveyed his surroundings for anything or anyone suspicious, as was customary of him when not in Metargo.

----

While the protagonists from all three superpowers conversed and went about their business in Benjlakk, three Angels made their way to an old, well-protected temple which was well out of the way of mortal affairs, situated within the very deserts of Omegara. This temple's surroundings consisted of human figures enveloped in a holy energy which left them frozen. These were the sealed warriors from the Era of Origins from two distinct tribes that eventually formed Benjlakk and Metargo, still trapped alive in spite of the several thousands of years that passed. This was part of the curse to the men who desecrated sacred ground, as emplaced by the Angels who made the seal: the sealed away warriors would not move a muscle, yet they would not die, either.

The three Angels landed in front of the gates to the Temple of the Deity, where only Angels and any of the Deity's faithful (or, of course, people he has foreseen to be paramount to something critical) could enter. The eldest of the three angelic brothers, Ferkaakt, opened the gates for the younger ones to go through before shutting them again. The youngest, Jerhasz, tensed his muscles while the one aged in between, Karryytya, glanced around in astonishment.

Jerhasz closed his eyes shut while speaking. "The Deity must have been here often before he left us in charge of protecting Mortal Kind in his absence. I can feel his power."

Karrytya shrugged. "Eh, it's not much different from the Heavens."

"Well, yes, but..."

Ferkaakt hushed the two. "Are we going to argue over the Deity's former presence here, or are we going to decipher his prophecy on our current predicament with the mortal nations?"

With that, all three Angels went to the Hall of Prophecies, where the Deity's predictions and such were stored in an extensive archives for the Angels to look over and read to determine what must be done. It was not uncommon for the Deity to predict the fate of mortal nations, or even when a war would begin. Due to so0 many prophecies made, the search for the one the brothers were looking for would take time.

Ah, so that explains it. She can use tracking magic. I knew I forgot to put something up. Must be getting soft. Cain thought when she Agathe told him about tracking her "Brother" At least I know that her real Brother isn't around here. I don't feel like having to deal with that right now. Gods I'm tired. She showed a display of her powers and Cain zoomed in closer. Having never seen magic like that before, he was unnaturally expressing himself. For the first time in his life he actually displayed the real emotion he was feeling. "Wow." He lightly let out as he saw the boy and the cat like woman. "Huh. Oh yeah. Cute. Hehe." He honestly was too amazed to here what she said before that, but he read in a book that if you just comment on the last word a female says sometimes then it's okay. What he didn't expect however, was that her next words were gonna be clearly heard and they would set in for a long time.

"You know, speaking of families, I am a little curious about yours. Pardon me if I am delving into something personal." She said.

For a second his face went cold. Just like back in the "Good" old days when he would have to kill whoever he was ordered to kill. In an instant, he saw his mothers death, the first person he ever killed, and his brothers massacre all in one, but the real thing that set him in, was the look of joy on his brothers face after he killed all those people. Right before he left.

"My family." His face relaxed almost back to normal. "My mom died when I was younger. My brother died not to long ago. As for my father," He looked away. "I don't have a father."

After hearing whatever Azalea had to say, he did not even have time to respond when he suddenly received a message from a member of Brown Wing Team. Whatever it was had to be important. The voice message went as follows:

Zechariah, we have a problem! We just received two distress calls from two different locations at Hawk Street, on the southern side of town! They each claim people in military uniform are holding them hostage for secrets on the Benjlakki Armed Forces' military technology! I couldn't get anything else from the transmissions other than torture is going on as we speak! I've sent the coordinates to you while sending this message! We better get to those locations, and fast! Kenneth Nadab, out!

Zechariah glanced towards Azalea with a soft grin, though his eyes expressed a hint of sadness at the two of them having to go their separate ways, again. "I'll keep in touch, okay?" With that, he sprinted off while sending a message to every Brown Wing Team Member about the scenario, ordering everyone to set their weapons to stun.

With that out of the way, Zechariah had to send a distress call to one of the military headquarters in town. The nearest to the scenes was the Naval Headquarters. Knowing that, he set an announcement on the facility's speakers which went as follows:

Naval Headquarters, this is Zechariah Malachi, from Brown Wing Team! We received two distress calls from two different locations on Hawk Street that cvilians are being held hostage in abandoned buildings, the coordinates indicated on the map! All personnel available are requested to assist with rescuing them and finding out who it is that violated our neutrality!

-----

Agathe noticed the cold look Cain gave and frowned. I must've touched on something I shouldn't have... Hearing what he said caused her to express a hint of sadness. "Sorry to hear that."

-----

Gracchus relaxed a little when Oriana said it was okay, though he still did not enjoy the cold look she gave. When she gave the suggestion of coming with her and the orphans, he casually nodded. "I don't see any harm in that." turning toward Malinha, he asked her, "Yes, no, maybe? What say you chieftain?"

-----

Benjamin listened to whatever Clarissa told him before be heard his brother call for Brown Wing Team to head to two different locations to rescue civilians. "Dang. Sorry, I better go, here's an extra communications devise." He gave instructions on how to use it then said he would call her, soon, on it. That out of the way, he sprinted towards one of the buildings. There, he and his squadron stormed inside and were met by elemental blasts. Mysticarans... Who'd have thought they'd go this far?

-----

President Anderson listened to whatever Sandra had to say. Before anything could be said back, however, one of the security officers ran up to him with the report of Naval Headquarters being notified of civilian held hostage in abandoned buildings at Hawk Street, the coordinates for both buildings provided. President Anderon nodded with a solemn nod, then told Sandra, "We should probably handle the task at hand before we discuss this matter further."

-----

Zechariah and two squadrons met at the other buildings, weapons set to stun, ready for further instructions. The sergeant could only hope reinforcements would arrive. If this, this would prove difficult.

-----

Aaron could see armored hovercraft above the city while he was on guard for any assassins. Kyle raised an eyebrow while wondering what could be going on. First, Zechariah had to leave because of an emergency, then suddenly this happens? What was going on?

-----

Sarxas listened to whatever Isaac next said before hearing from zechariah about an emergency to attend to. From what she heard, it seemed serious. Bringing out her pistols and setting them to stun, her expressions turned from happy and kitten-like to serious and angry. "I better go. Someone's violated Benjlakk's neutrality policies, and I need to be there to rescue some civilians. If there is time later today, I'll come back to talk to you."

Throwing away her plate and what was left of the salmon she had, she sprinted off with incredible speed. She met up with Zechariah and leaned on the wall where everyone in her squadron was. Whatever it was that would happen, the tiger Feliniri immigrant was prepared for.

"No. That's alright." Cain tried to reassure the girl. "It's nothing to be sorry about. I'm,..." He was paused by the disturbance in the air. He couldn't put his finger on what it was. That was, until he saw the shadow.

What the hell?

He turned to Agathe. "You should leave this city. I have to go now." After those words, he darted out of the coffee shop and ran towards Aaron. Luckily he wasn't that far away. "I'm going to their Holiness's, I'll leave the princess up to you Sergeant." He said before he darted for the capitol building. He didn't usually use honorifics but when he did, it was mostly because he was in full sync with the mission. Protect the Royalty. All of them. No matter what the cost. This was the mission he was assigned for on this trip. It was a good thing the girl found him in the building, otherwise he'd be too far away.

I'm coming my king. I won't let the house fall.

He looked up in the air and saw the giant hovercraft shielding Benjlakk from the sun. He ran as fast as he could darting through people even jumping over some of the smaller buildings. Still, all the genetic mutations in the couldn't make him go faster than an airship. His only hope was that he made it there in time to save the king, queen, and the prince. From here on it was kill or fail and he prepared himself to kill anyone in order to protect them.

Agathe felt a little better, until she noticed she shadow then heard what Cain said next. That can't be good. Looks like I better get Isaac then head back to the Asgarda. Running in the direction of where she tracked the werewolf, she found him by himself, then stood in front of him.

"We better get out of here, Isaac! So many hovercraft in the sky can only mean someone violated Benjlakk's neutrality! It's a good thing I made the finishing touches on your new Valkyrie Golem, because if one of the Tribal Forces is involved in whatever incident it is in this city, our country shall have made a dangerous enemy!" She made sure the boy was following her before shouting, "Hurry! The rest of the Air and Ground Party should already be on its way to the ship, and we need to catch up!"

----

Gracchus was unable to get an answer from the Chieftain, for he heard hovercraft beginning to enter the sky. He may not know much about machines, but what he did know was that vehicles of such design as he saw up there were used in critical emergencies where the Benjlakki military had to be involved. His suspicions were confirmed when Cam came up and reported that there was a hostage situation. "Looks like someone has violated Benjlakk's neutrality. I do know of some Tribal forces whom tend to be brash. If any such troops are involved, we may have out warmed our welcome here." Clenching his fists, he furiously added, "I swear, even without fighting, this war gets out of hand far too quickly! I just hope my hunches are wrong!" He used one of his comm orbs and commanded all Air and Ground Party members to get back to the Asgarda at once, then take off once everyone is accounted for. "Chieftain Malinha, it is time we leave!" Turning toward Orianna with sad eyes, he told the diplomat. "I'm sorry we have to part under such circumstances. Until we meet again." He gave the Natrulkra salute, which was basically a fist pound to his chest before lifting the same arm to hold his hand flat and diagonally across his forehead, then grabbed Malinha's wrist and sprinted towards the ship, expecting the rest of the unit he had with him to be there without a moment to lose.

----

Aaron glanced in Azalea's direction with his usual emotionless look he gave when around royalty. "Benjlakk does not resort to hovercraft of that caliber floating around unless something serious was going on. My guess is, some morons from either our side or Mysticara's violated this country's neutrality. Military hovercraft like what's up there are resorted to when dealing with hostiles in uniform, or some other threat requiring military attention. I've seen scenarios like this during simulations before our previous war." The former Ghost came by, and the Sergeant gritted his teeth at what Cain said to him, even as the specialist left. "Since when was he in charge of Lion Team?"

Kyle shrugged, "Well, at least he's helping out in the way he knows how."

"That's not an excuse in my book! Unless the King himself says otherwise, I give the orders to the whole unit!"

This was when Private Scipio snapped and slapped Aaron hard in the face. "We've got bigger problems, right now, sir! Get off your high horse, already! I'm getting sick of it!"

Aaron would normally snap, too, but this was different. For once, he came to his senses and realized Kyle had a point. Perverted and undisciplined as Private Scipio was, he had his moments where he displayed a degree of leadership. The Sergeant nodded in agreement. "You're right, Kyle, we do have bigger problems. That takes precedence. We better escort the Princess towards the shuttle, wait for the rest of the royal family, then get out of here with the rest of Lion Team, the entire royal family with us." Using his commlink, he contacted Cralyn. "Private Alymer, we're escorting the royal family out of here! Find The King, Queen, and Prince, then help Specialist Numi escort them to the shuttle! We'll meet you there with Princess Azalea coming with us to that location! You got that, Private? I don't want the royal court even close to Benjlakki territory if some idiot from our own nation is involved in whatever incident it is that brought the attention of the Benjlakki Armed Forces!"

----

Saul heard footsteps coming in the direction of himself, Leo, and Calida, then saw Cain, this time with his mask off. He could only hope the man did not do anything that could jeopardize the diplomatic situation, as he had a tendency to overdo things. "Cain, is something wrong?" He then noticed the hovercraft and realized the severity of the situation. "I see. The Benjlakki military is looking into something of importance. I believe it is time we leave, and Azalea should no doubt be on her way to the shuttle, knowing how Aaron, Kyle, and May are about these matters." Turning towards Leonardo, he said, "I do not know what is exactly happening, Leo, but I guess this is a mixed blessing. Time in the shuttle will give us the opportunity to talk more like father and son, something I should have done long ago." A gentle smile towards Calida, he said to her, "Well, darling, I guess we better go."

----

Benjamin and the rest of the squad searched for cover while returning fire to the Mysticarans in the building. Absorption fields were activated to take the hits from the spells. This would not be an easy fight.

----

President Anderson heard Sandra's question, looked at the screen, then sighed. "It appears both the military and police are already involved." Picking up a commlink, he contacted Zechariah. "Sergeant Malachi, this is Howard Anderson. Admiral Lionel and I are formulating a plan for your location as we speak. reinforcements are on their way, it seems."

----

Zechariah heard President Anderson, then replied with, "Roger, Mr. President. Awaiting instructions." Glancing in Ayoto's direction, he told her, "I can tell you this won't be easy. We're dealing with foreign military, and we'll find out who soon enough."

Sarxas added to the conversation. "Whoever they are, they won't escape trial, that's for sure."

----

A member of Lion Team came up to Max and told him, "Sir, it's time to go. We need to head back to the shuttle."