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n.o.bian Capital City, Nokk

Month 6, Day 26

7:58 AM

Opening her eyes, Lonoa saw the sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window. Morning time. She stretched, allowing herself to wake up after a comfortable night of rest. When she finally got out of bed, she walked toward the window and opened it.

Outside was the same beautiful scene that she had awakened to for the past couple years, excluding the numerous scaffolds that dotted the cityscape. Reconstruction started but a few days ago, and it will be lengthy, but the city will be restored to its former glory. Lonoa smiled, knowing that her city survived such a grave a.s.sault on their homeland, but it faltered when she began thinking about the future security of her home.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a droning noise, unnatural in every sense. She had never heard of such a noise in her life. Well, she heard it once, several days ago when the metal dragons came. Looking up, she discovered the source of the noise: a ma.s.sive metal dragon. As it lumbered overhead, she feared the worst. The last time metal aircraft had intruded on their fair city, no one had a means to fight back; their wyverns were immediately shot out of the sky by exploding arrows and their ground forces simply could not shoot that high up. This time, they had no defenses, although it could be said that nothing has changed, since the n.o.bian defenses were useless during the first a.s.sault. Additionally, the metal dragons in the first attack targeted only military targets, including walls, forts, and forges. There was no other target for the second attack aside from civilian ones. As it flew toward her, she closed her eyes, making her final prayers to Lunara.

After a while, nothing happened, and so she opened her eyes. Once again watching the metal dragon, she saw that it just continued in its previous direction. What was it doing? Finally, it acted, dropping a small dark object, which she could barely make out with her bare eyes. What could it be? Following it, she realized that this small speck was a weapon of some kind, meant to drop from the sky and onto the ground below. But this one didn't explode. Rather it exploded into... paper? The paper that was released came fluttering down, landing in the city by the thousands. To her, this was shocking, since paper was decently expensive, even when purchased from the Mekkanese. When compared to Mekkanese paper, the paper delivered by the metal dragon amounted to nearly 200 novichs worth. This money, it's enough to last 2 peasant families for a year each!

How powerful was this nation, such that they could toss away 200 novichs worth of paper at the enemy? Well, evidently this nation was powerful enough to ravage the defenses of her city and fly over them without a care for their wyvern fleet. She walked outside to grab one of the flyers. Exquisitely printed on it was a message from Prince Lonad Novus himself! He hasn't been heard from in years! Excited to see the beloved Prince was in fact alive, she read the message.

"To my n.o.bian brothers and sisters, I, Prince Lonad Novus of the Royal Family, hereby declare my return to my subjects. For years, I have been silenced by my father the Emperor for my Reformist views. In order to maintain his dominion over my subjects, he imprisoned me, and for years I remained in a dungeon. Blessed be my fortune, my prayers to Lunara were answered, and she has granted me my escape through a third party: the Americans.

The Americans are a people who come from the portal; you may have called them the Otherworlders. These were the same people who attacked our defenses, but do not worry, for this attack was designed as a message to my father. All of the death that has plagued us these past couple of months leads back to the current Emperor who, in his irrationality, awakened the sleeping dragon. No, even this comparison cannot speak for the wrath he has incurred. In fact, he has awakened the sleeping dragon slayers, for he attacked a force far more powerful than any army or Epic beast we have yet seen!

And yet, these Americans are willing to show mercy, and even kindness. If we cease our quarrels with them, they will open up some of their technologies to us! Even now, the Sonaran Federation reaps the benefits provided to them by the Americans. They have mechanical carriages, faster and more comfortable than those produced by Mekkan! They have the power to cool rooms during hot summers, and to freeze food for storage! For ores that are useless to us, they pay generously! Against any threat, they will grant us protection! No longer shall we live in the squalor that my father has degraded our society to! No longer shall we fear attacks from beasts and monsters! No longer shall our people suffer!

We n.o.bians are on the precipice of a great change. With the grievances I've listed in consideration, what say you all to the rule of my father? Will you write yourself into the pages of history, signifying yourself as the people who brought n.o.bia into the future? Or will you remain, and rot along with those who cling to crumbling ideas?

In one week, American diplomats will arrive at each of our major cities. We will not force people to join us, but it will be beneficial to do so.

To betterment!

To Reformation!"

She paused for a moment. What if all this was an elaborate hoax developed by the invaders? Any doubts Lonoa may have had were immediately silenced by the seal next to the Prince's signature. It was genuine, and only the prince himself could have had access to it. She grinned, and so did many others throughout the city. The famous Prince is returning, and the war hungry Emperor will be dethroned. The path to Reformation has been laid out. Those who seek it will prosper, while those who do not will fade into dust.

—

SB-1 Outpost Alpha

With the help of Kelmithus and Dr. Jones, the black hawk touched down quietly, with the only sounds coming from the rustling of leaves as they were blown away by the powerful gales emanating from the helicopter's blades. Alpha Team, now consisting of Major Donnager, Captain Lamarr, Captain Owens, Kelmithus, and Dr. Jones, disembarked from the helicopter, which then took off. There weren't any n.o.bian patrols on the sensors or imaging equipment as of yesterday, but they couldn't be too careful. As such, Alpha Team scrambled to some nearby foliage in order to conceal themselves as they worked their way toward the Homagus outpost. Of course, the name was tentative, but since there weren't any good ideas in the science department, nor any records in the Site Beta One database, the higher ups went with Homagus, after h.o.m.o Magus Sapiens.

The outpost, approximately 1 mile from the designated drop off point, was hidden in the forest, many miles away from the nearest settlement or base. As they walked, Dr. Jones described his adventures in the Amazon Rainforest.

"These forests here are nothing like the ones in South America, I tell you. Down there, I had to worry about creatures that haven't even been doc.u.mented yet!" Jones looked around. "Well, I guess it's the same case here, but the circ.u.mstances were different back then. Anyway! The humidity and heat were enough to kill ya! Just imagine how much harder it was for me, traveling alone, cutting through the densest brush while making certain not to accidentally step on a venomous snake or awaken a supposedly extinct beast. I'm glad it's much simpler here. Reminds me of my exploits through European forests, searching for hidden n.a.z.i caches of treasure."

"Did you ever run into n.a.z.is?" Emma asked.

"Why, yes I did!" Jones exclaimed. Immediately after his outburst, an arrow flew past his face, lodging itself into a tree to his left.

"Get down!" Henry yelled as more arrows came flying toward them.

Working as quickly as they could, Kelmithus and Jones created a s.h.i.+eld to intercept the second volley before it hit. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the s.h.i.+eld, narrowly missing their targets.

With wide eyes, Emma muttered, "Thanks…"

"You're not gonna die in your first mission, Lamarr!" Henry affirmed, leading Alpha Team back the way they came, in a tactical retreat.

Thankfully, deflecting arrows was much simpler and easier than deflecting bullets. Consequently, the two magic users in Alpha Team didn't break any sweat as they retreated.

"Why aren't you shooting?" Kelmithus questioned his team members who were holding guns.

"Oh, I a.s.sumed we couldn't shoot through the s.h.i.+eld," Henry admitted. Come to think of it, who would've guessed? Most s.h.i.+elds in science fiction were two way. Nothing penetrates in, and nothing shoots out. Testing to see if Kelmithus' claims were indeed correct, Henry fired a blast from his N25 pistol at the lowest setting. Sure enough, the bolt went through the s.h.i.+eld. Seeing the confirmation with his own eyes, he gave the order to Emma and Ron to begin firing back at the enemy.

"It's hard to see them!" Emma yelled as she eliminated three archers with her P90.

"The s.h.i.+eld really messes with our target acquisition," Ron affirmed, despite having netted six kills already.

Noticing the attack patterns of the n.o.bian archers, Henry realized that they were beginning to adjust their tactics. The men he's killed so far were not wearing armor; instead, they wore some sort of camouflage that allowed them to blend in with their surroundings. They would fire a volley, then pull back into the trees in order to ready their next volley. This strategy made it hard for Alpha Team to determine how many hostiles were out there.

So, Henry turned to Dr. Jones and Kelmithus. "Is there anything you can do in order to locate the n.o.bians?"

Kelmithus shook his head. He knew of no such magic, and if it even existed, it would most likely be the Divinians who could perform it. Jones, on the other hand, simply stared. To Henry, it looked as if he was thinking, but Jones was in fact communicating with Omnis.

"Hold on, I think I might have a way," Jones said. "Omnis has a database of spells he has encountered in the past. One of them is a pulse spell, which will send energy toward hostile attackers and wrap them in an orange light."

"Okay. Do it."

"Okay. Kel, do you mind holding the s.h.i.+eld for a bit?" Jones asked Kelmithus.

"You are fortunate we are only defending against arrows and the occasional lightning attack," he said before complying. "Go!"

With his concentration now free for other tasks, Jones began his spell casting. Using the Scepter of Axnial, he created a circle of energy above himself, like a ring. Then, he placed his staff in the center, and allowed Omnis to complete the remaining tasks. A beam of light shot out from Omnis, stopping just above the ring and dispersing energy to the ring, which slowly grew in size.

Once the ring had grown to an optimal configuration, Jones chanted something in an unknown, ancient language. The spell finished, and the ring of energy pulsed outward, harmlessly pa.s.sing through Alpha Team and the s.h.i.+eld. After a few seconds, they began to see outlines of human bodies in the forest, highlighted by a mysterious glow.

Henry remarked upon this, having seen something similar in the past. "Huh, looks like a vision pulse from Call of Duty!" Henry said, astonished. He then looked over to the rest of his team, who all shared the same stupefied look on his face, but for different reasons. Ron Owens was most likely surprised because of the military applications; Emma Lamarr because of the scientific impossibility of it; Jones because it actually worked; and Kelmithus because he had never seen such a spell before.

"Alright," Henry said after merely a second, "Let's get to work. We can do some more testing once we get back to the base."

Now, the hunters have become the hunted, as the n.o.bian forces who sought Alpha Team have become the prey. It could be said that prey aren't truly defenseless, for many animals possess various defense mechanisms, such as camouflage or hardened exteriors. Although predators have evolved certain features, such as keen, forward facing eyes and a heightened sense of smell, they are sometimes fooled by the prey. Today, in this scenario, none of this was the case. With the n.o.bian soldiers marked for Alpha Team to see, it was as if they were playing a video game with all of the hacks turned on.

TATATA!

Shots rang out from the trees, hitting their targets through visual obstacles such as bushes. It was already bad enough that the n.o.bians had to fight an uphill battle, against guns while they only had bows and arrows. They weren't climbing a hill anymore; this time they were climbing Mount Everest with their bare hands and no provisions. It was impossible, and thus they retreated.

"My, they run fast!" Kelmithus said, tiring out. "I'm getting too old for this!" He managed between breaths.

As they continued to run, they saw the n.o.bian force regroup about 100 meters ahead, their individual energy signatures all clumping up in what appeared to be a chamber. Of course, there was no way to be certain since Alpha Team could essentially see them through walls. They could be behind a patch of dense vegetation, or behind their fortress. Suddenly, all of the energy signatures disappeared, causing Henry to put his hand up, signaling everyone to stop.

Panting, he asked, "Did it run out?" Like with video games, he a.s.sumed this ability had a time limit.

"No," Jones answered. "It wasn't supposed to run out for another 10 minutes."

"Maybe it doesn't work like it's supposed to since this is the first time you're using the spell," Kelmithus suggested.

"No… something else happened," Jones said as he looked around. Eventually, he looked down and found the energy signatures, below the ground. "Hey guys…"

Henry turned and saw Jones looking at something on the ground. Following his gaze, he as well saw the energy signatures. "What the h.e.l.l?"

"There's no way the n.o.bians have elevators, right?" Emma asked.

"Let's go investigate."

Upon arriving at the location where the n.o.bians used to be, they found a metal platform, circular in design. It looked like an odd mix between the floor of a Star Trek transporter room and a Stargate ring transporter. Noticing this, Henry suggested, "Let's stand on it."

Seeing no better alternatives, everyone else shrugged and agreed. Kelmithus and Jones readied themselves; they might need to create a s.h.i.+eld the moment they get to the facility below.

"Hmm…"

"Nothing is happening," Ron pointed out.

"Yes, I can see that." Henry looked around again. Maybe there was some device that activated the machine, like a console or switch. "There!"

The other members of Alpha Team turned around and looked to him in confusion, then followed his finger. He was pointing at a console covered by greenery, the lower portion of the silvery device entangled in roots. This device was clearly of Homagus design, and thus everyone turned to Jones for answers.

"What?" Jones asked.

"You know the most about Homagus tech. You can ask Omnis for answers," Ron said, his reply more straightforward than usual.

"Okay." Jones gripped his staff, reaching out to Omnis.

u003c Walk to the console. It will activate when you approach. u003e

Sure enough, the device activated upon his approach, projecting holographic controls which were partially obscured by some leaves. Jones pushes the leaves aside.

u003c Place me in the sphere. I will interface with the device. u003e

Jones followed Omnis' instructions and slowly maneuvered his scepter into the hologram, placing the scepter's crystal in the blue sphere that hovered above the console. He waited for a few seconds, then the hologram disappeared. Jones began to say something, then stopped when another voice spoke.

u003c I can now activate transporters remotely. I will tell you later how to use the transporters, for I believe your team wishes to proceed with their mission. u003e

"What's going on Dr. Jones?" Emma asked.

"Ah, just talking to Omnis. Let's get on the platform. He can activate it remotely."

Alpha Team went to the platform once more. As soon as everyone was standing above it, Omnis glowed blue, radiating light from his crystalline form in the Scepter of Axnial. Alpha Team shone as if their bodies became flashlights. This event occurred for a split second and was accompanied by the sound of s.p.a.ce distorting around them, similar to the sounds produced by beaming technology in science fiction. Then, they vanished.

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