[TARGET ACQUIRED. POSITION LASED AND RELAYED, READY FOR FIREMISION.]

"Confirm firemission."

Having drilled the current procedure more times that she could count over the last few weeks, Terra knew exactly what the AI named ICI would say, and knew how to respond.

[FIREMISION APPROVED BY COMMAND. ESTABLIs.h.i.+NG UPLINK….. UPLINK THROUGH COMSAT-1 ESTABLISHED, 50MS DELAY, SYSTEM HOT.]

"Target is zero mike mike, send one times 40mm AD-LBD HEAT, comfirem last."

[TARGET STATIONARY, NO ADJUSTMENT NEEDED, SEND 1X 40MM AD-LBD HEAT TO LASED TARGET?]

"Affirmative."

[FIREMISSION DESIGNATED AS F1, PLEASE HOLD…. LIVE! ROUND(S) OUT, SPLASH 10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3…. IMPACT, FUSE 5 SECONDS.]

On ICI exact command a 40 millimeter anti tank round impacted the designated target, coursing a cheer to erupt from the spectating crowd, but the firemission was not complete. 5 seconds after the round had buried itself into the bullseye it erupted, spewing chemical flames in a jet into the target, the flames where bright blue and hot enough to melt most high grade metal alloys.

[IGNITION. TARGET SPLASH, STANDING BY FOR ADDITIONAL REQUESTS ON FIREMISSION F1.]

"Target hit, standby."

Breathing a deep sigh Terra put her rifle down, in that exact moment another bullseye drawn on a piece of paper popped up, and this one was swiftly being pulled by strings towards cover.

"Wha!- F1 fire mission snapshot! Send KP!"

[CONFIRMED RAPID RESPONSE SNAPSHOT ON FIREMISION 'F1', 10 KINETIC PENETRATORS INBOUND HOT, PAINT TARGET.]

Terra hastily pointed her rifle at the target and in response the rifle started beeping in a steady tone that turned faster until it was a continuous noise, and the bullseye was decimated, making the spectating crowd cheer even louder than when the first target erupted in flame.

"Ladies and gentlemen that concludes this live fire demonstration, I hope the council will those favorably."

With the crowd dispersing and falling into talk amongst themselves, Terra walked up to complain to her teacher.

"You never told me about the second target."

"Are you perhaps mad Terra? Always be aware of additional treats~ And you almost did well"

"What you mean 'almost'?"

"ICI you tell her."

[LIVE FIRE EXERCISE CONCLUDED, EVALUATION: B-]

"A b minus? Are you serious!?"

[RATINGS ARE FINAL. FIRECOMMAND 4.2 SECONDS TOO SLOW.]

"What!? How are you supposed to call that in faster than that!?"

"That would be your next lesson, traditional qiton. Observe."

turning to the target range, Dax took off his eyepatch, revealing a red cybernetic eye with 3 individual lenses, and cracked his neck before taking a quick breath.

"ZU RA!"

[SA.]

With a completely alien response from ICI Dax started count down silently.

"3.. 2.. 1.. Splash."

On his exact command, about 30 flowers in the training field were decimated by precision artillery.

"... What the h.e.l.l was that?"

"A firemission on 29 targets."

"But how?"

"The traditional qiton language is exactly like the people, made for war. Basically it's a coded language made for sending short and exact communication that one can use for anything from telling your true love you love them by residing a 50 page long poem, to telling a cla.s.s C5 cruiser to crack a target planet with 250 precisely timed tactical antimatter warheads, all in under a second.. It's a b.i.t.c.h to learn, but once you know it, it's the easiest there is."

"So 'Zu ra' is how you ask for firesupport on 29 targets?"

"ICI please translate."

[INPUT UNKNOWN, CLOSEST APPROXIMATION: FIzE QQUACD.]

"What the f.u.c.k?"

"In time young gra.s.shopper."

"If you say so…."

"Come on, let's head back to the church."

A few weeks had pa.s.sed since the Kingdom pa.s.sed the so called Avoxaian treaty into their const.i.tution in its entirety. Together with the treaties full implementation the first prince of the Kingdom, Henrik Vi Gruffydd VIII, forfeited his right to the throne, stating he would rather pursue the protection of the Kingdom by leading the military for the rest of his life, leaving the throne of the kingdom to his little sister, Teresa Vi Gruffydd XI. After losing to Dax in a public duel Henrik realized his own arrogance, and lack of training, he suddenly saw the path he was heading towards, and decided to fix it, that decision was of course fully supported by his sister, and she had spent most of her free time teaching him about all the races that called the Kingdom home.

"Welcome back master!"

"Look I told you not to call me that Rei."

"Understood master!"

"..."

As Terra and Dax made it back to the central church wors.h.i.+ping the angels, Dax was greeted by Rei, a demonkin about Terra's age. She had ash white skin, with completely black eyes and 1 meter long eagle like wings at her hip and 2 pairs of slightly chipped 10 centimeter long white horns extending upwards were her recovering black hair. She wore simple clothing with most of her skin showing without a hint of modesty, apparently her race originated from an arctic region much colder than the Kingdom even in winter, making her warm all the time. Her slightly immodest clothing, a mini skirt and tank top with holes for her wings combined with eyes that showed complete admiration and utmost respect proved a highly problematic for Dax, being a healthy and relatively young male (Although he would never admit it.)

The way Dax understood it she came from a race that placed strength over all else, and had somehow come to respect Dax as her master, pledging her undying loyalty to him, completely one sidedly of course. But Rei wasn't completely unwelcome, she had been rescued along with a whole slew of other demonkin that like her had deep mental trauma, and Rai proved a natural leader for them and helped them recover.

"Ah you're back Dax, can we go a few rounds?"

"Are you still here Marie?"

"How rude! I'm a.s.signed here for your protection!"

"And yet you spend your days trying to kill me and/or playing around…"

"That's just in the heat of the moment, you know I get excited when I get into it."

"'Exited' is a mild way to put it…"

"Come on let's go a few rounds, or have you changed your mind and want to make babies with me?"

The h.o.r.n.y, extremely honest and battle crazed beastkin was Marie, a member of the royal guard a.s.signed for Dax's protection by the crown princess. She had bright short orange hair combined with fierce red eyes and fluffy orange ears on top of her head that gave her a overall animalistic impression. Her body normally covered by her solid adamant.i.te armor was now way more exposed in her light training clothing consisting of a plain white t s.h.i.+rt and a pair of loosely fitted boxer shorts that let her leopard like tail extending from her hip sway freely, making Dax wonder if she simply was there to play around.

"Why do you want to have my children anyway?"

"Because you're strong!"

"Is that really the only reason?"

"What do you mean 'only reason'? You defeated me, twice, then won a public duel against the first prince, any female warrior would want to court you after that!"

"OOOHH! So you see masters greatness too!?"

"I'm getting too old for this s.h.i.+t.."

"Ah Dax you're back!"

"Please don't tell me this is how I'm going to be treated from now on Sophia…"

"Don't worry Dax, these two are… Special."

Appearing as a sane person in a sea of the insane was another royal knight, Sophia, wearing a nun clothing of all things. Sophia was a half breed demonkin originating from a nomadic tribe that moved around the world as it pleased, and her appearance was just as exotic as that implied, she had bright red eyes combined with obsidian like skin and pure white shoulder length hair. The reasoning for her current appearance was that she was taking a break from her duties of guarding the royal family and tending to the mentally scared demonkin Dax had saved.

"It's still kinda strange to see a royal knight of all things in that kind of dress.."

"Is it really that weird? I'm wearing these clothes to show the demonkin I care for that people like me can be trusted, hopefully helping their trust in humans grow."

"Oh and where's Marcus and Tia by the way?"

"Marcus was summoned to the castle about an hour ago, and Tia went to research that 'aircraft' of yours."

"Okay then, I'll be inside if you need me."

After enquiring about the last members of his protettive escort, Dax went inside the one storey family home right next to the church he had used as a base since arriving in the capital city of Kingsted.

"Goodmorning Alice."

"Ghe!- Dax you told me you would be back later!"

"And that's not an excuse to walk around half naked…"

"UuuuUUuuuu…. E-excuse me!"

The blus.h.i.+ng creature sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast when Dax got back was Alice, Dax's 'guide' and former member of the rangers core of the fortress city Black Hollow. She was about a head shorter than Terra, standing at about 1 60 tall, and had long brown hair that was usually braided (with varying success) and had emerald green eyes, complete with a few freckles.

"Why does it seem like every female around here is in heat?"

"You seriously have no idea?"

"No I don't Terra, I'm raised for war, not dealing with brats like you."

"I will teach you in due time, young gra.s.shopper."

"Eh? What did you say? It sounded like 'I would like to double my daily training rediment'~"

"..."

If stares could kill, even the mostly immortal Dax would have been murdered several times over by his pupil, just in the last week alone.

"I'm kidding~"

"..."

"Come on don't be moody all of a sudden~"

Poking the frowning Terra a few times on her cheek, Dax blocked a knee that was meant for his crotch.

"Naive~"

Catching the leg with his arm, Dax lifted Terra's leg into the air, coursing her to fall over as he completely lifted her off the floor so she didn't hit her head.

"Let me down please."

"If you tell me why your attack failed~"

"... Fine. I attacked out of in-"

[PROXIMITY ALERT. HIGH SPEED UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT CLOSING RANGE AT 200 KILOMETERS AN HOUR, NO IFF.]

"Move to pattern red! Terra get Alice into her frame now!"

Completely switching gears rapidly Dax almost tossed Terra up the stairs towards Alice's room as a nearby drone tossed Dax a Rex Alpha rifle.

[MOVING ALL DRONES TO BEHAVIOR PATTERN RED, GUARDIAN-R04 SPECIAL HANDHELD RAILGUN MOVING TO EMERGENCY FAST CHARGE, SYSTEM READY FOR FIREMISSION IN 2 MINUTES.]

"GET INSIDE PEOPLE! SOMETHING IS HEADING HERE FARST!"

Ripping of his eyepatch as the people outside dropped whatever they were doing and ran towards shelter, Dax charged his rifle and a.s.sumed a firing position as he was surrounded by drones all wielding the same kind of rifle as him.

"My job is to protect you!"

Marie had apparently not run to shelter, as ran up and took position in front of Dax with a two meter long adamant.i.te greatsword.

"I DON'T GIVE A s.h.!.+-"

[TARGET ARRIVING. WARNING, MANA SIGNATURE ABOVE ANYTHING THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE, ESTIMATING CHANCE OF SURVIVAL AT 43%, RECOMMEND DISENGAGEMENT AND USE OF TACTICAL CLa.s.s WEAPONRY.]

Then they all felt it. Even Dax unable to sense/use mana felt it, it was a pressure like the gravity suddenly increased twofold, and suddenly a large sphere glowing like the sun appeared about 10 meters above them.

"WHAT IS THAT!?"

"Ku!- Such pressure!"

"ICI PLUG ME IN, I NEED EVERYTHING!"

[AFFIRMATIVE. PREPARING FOR FULL MIND DOMINATION... WARING: COMPLETE MIND MELT IN EFFECT. EXPECTED CORRUPTION AT 100% PATTEN BLACK NOW IN EFFECT, 6 REX DELTA 04, 150 GUARDIAN SPECTOR, 5 REX VULTURE, 1 GUARDIAN ELECTRONIC WARFARE DRONE TYPE 144 'ALBATROSS', 54 REX-DELTA MOD, 165-A25S 'REAPER' ADDED TO ARCHITECTURE, ALL RAM AND PROCESSING POWER INTEGRATED IN COMMAND AND CONTROL NEURAL NETWORK MESH, 'HIVEMIND' PROTOCOL ONLINE, TOTAL CONTROL HANDOVER COMPLETE, PHYSICAL LIMITERS RELEASED. ICI ENTERING SLEEP MODE.]

With the limmitors on his strength released Dax dug his feet into the ground and prepared to fight like his life depended on it as the sphere slowly descended a few meters from him, and the nuns and priests suddenly went out of hiding, and started wors.h.i.+ping the sphere.

["Don't tell me.."]

As if wanting to confirm his huch the sphere suddenly disappeared, revealing what was inside. Dax's first impression was that of disbelief, he had heard of them, even spoken with one, but it was his first time seeing an angel in person. Floating 5 meters above the ground was a creature Dax would have mistaken for a masterwork form some super famous sculpture, if not for the pressure that was as intense as the kind from a qiton elder. The 3 and a half meter tall majestic creature wore valkyrie like armor that seamlessly allowed her two pairs of 6 meter wide brown wings to extend from her shoulder, and somehow looked serval magnitudes more solid than pure adamant.i.te armor. Above her golden brown picture perfect shoulder long hair levitated a golden halo, a likely effect of the flight magic she was currently employing. Her face was flawless, as if sculpted directly by the G.o.ds, but alarmingly didn't show any emotion, only her golden glowing eyes seemed to judge Dax, as if looking at an insect.

["Can I help you with something?"]

"ARE YOU DAX?"

Her voice was simutarraly beautiful like an entire string orchestra, and oppressive like an imposing and absolute dictator.

["That would be me yeah."]

With cold sweat rolling down his back Dax continued to talk calmly with the angel while formulating about a million battleplans with backups on backups.

"YOU ARE TO APPEAR AT THE ANGEL SANCTUARY WITHIN 2 WEEKS TO STAND TRIAL."

["May I ask what I stand trial for?"]

"YOU MAY NOT, I CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO EXPLAIN HERE AMONG SO MANY MORTALS, FAILURE TO APPEAR WILL LEAD TO YOUR DEATH."

With those words the angel disappeared again, leaving Dax looking into the air like a fool.

["What the f.u.c.k was that?"]