Into the fields of Summer - 112. The Keys

Chapter 111 – The Keys

Victor’s POV

When Chris ordered us to leave, I barely had the opportunity to protest as he put me, August, and Nomir in an energy bubble and blasted us out of the area. I wanted to help Chris fight the demon general but if I were to be honest, I was already reaching my limit and I think August and Nomir weren’t far behind. We stood strong, and valiantly fought the demon general as a trio but I doubt that we would have lasted 5 or 10 more minutes if I were to be generous.

The energy bubble flew above the torn and heavily damaged city and from above it’s clear that the previous encounter with the US Army, FRUSI, and the on-going battle between the demons and the alliance has taken a heavy toll on the landscape and infrastructure around us.

We crossed out of the demon veil and landed on our feet about 50 meters from the threshold. Not a minute later, members of the standby forces came to our aid.

“Are you all okay?” Asked a worried vampire officer, he did not wait for our reply and continued, “Get me an elf healer here! We need healing and recovery spells.”

“Any news from the others?” August asked as the three of us were being tended to by several elves.

“None so far, no radio signals could get through the barrier, communication spells couldn’t get through either,” replied the vampire officer whom I later learn is named, Emilio.

“How is it inside?” Asked a curious Akros member that stood beside Emilio.

“Not good, it’s hard to explain but the place is totally gutted, and the air, god the air is filled with emotions I couldn’t even begin to describe,” replied a tired Nomir.

The elvish healers were a great help, for 5 minutes they tirelessly cast healing and recovery spells one after another, I mean, I still felt tired, sore, and pain all over me but things have become more bearable. Not a moment after the last healing spell was cast, we noticed a vibration in the demon barrier and dozens of bright energy bubbles shot out of it.

“The others are back,” Emilio noted as he indulged himself with a small smile at the thought that it wasn’t only our group that survived the encounter against the demon horde. Looking at the rest of the returnees, I saw tired and grim expressions on their faces, combat suits were tattered and most of our soldiers had cuts, bruises and were covered in either dust, blood or both.

“We need more healers and medics!” ordered a werewolf agent not far from us. For the next few minutes, it was a flurry of action as elf healers and vampire and werewolf medics tended to the injured. Several elves were also restraining several of our peers that have been infected with the demon taint and were slowly turning into Anami.

“There you are!” Said a relieved Rehanmir as he approached my group. The Crown Prince had a bandage on his head but he looked to be in better shape than most of us. Looking around he noticed the absence of his nephew, with a concerned expression, he asked, “Where’s Chris?”

“He sent the three of us away when Azarahel became too much.”

“Azarahel?”

“The demon general, she’s powerful, more powerful than Yonthar,” I grimly replied, the tone of my disappointment at my inability, not being strong enough to help Chris was not easily missed.

“Azarahel, she split her body in two, that’s how powerful she is, the three of us fought her other half while Chris fought the other one, when they merged, it became too much, Chris sent us away,” August chimed in, sitting a few feet away from where Rehanmir and I were talking.

“We have to go back and help him,” I pleaded to the crown prince.

“Chris sent us all away too. He initiated a large scale broadcast spell and told… no, ordered us to leave as soon as possible, he was very serious when he said it and there was no room to challenge his assessment of the situation. I’m just glad all other teams heeded his call, as you can see the rest of our soldiers are tired as well, but don’t worry, we will send a team back inside to help my nephew.”

I was restless, and multiple thoughts buzzed through my head as I grew more anxious by the minute, I was worried for Chris, if Rehanmir doesn’t send an expeditionary team soon, I will take things into my own hands, I will not let Chris stay alone inside the demon territory, the thought of leaving him behind, the thought of losing him was too much for me to bear.

Just as I was about to charge back into the demon zone, I felt a shift in the air, looking around, I noticed everyone else felt it too, then as I set my gaze upon the demon veil, its illusion of normalcy dissipated. The scorched remains of Fort Smith greeted us. I was surprised to see what stood in front of us, what was previously beyond the veil is completely desolate. The area that we left not more than half an hour ago is beyond recognition, yes, we left it in bad condition, but what remained of the city and its suburbs is a lot worse. All we could see where left damaged houses and buildings, is now ash and desolation inside where the barrier stood.

“What the hell happened there?” Emilio gasped as he stared at the destruction in front of him.

“It’s like a nuclear bomb exploded, there’s barely anything left!” Nomir said in awe.

It took me several seconds to gather my wits, then I said, “We have to find Chris!”

“Secondary teams 1 and 2, Follow me!” Prince Rehanmir shouted, and not a moment later, two teams of elves appeared in front of us, “We have one mission, and that is to find Prince Christopher,” the elves nodded in the affirmative.

As the rescue teams set off, I said, “Wait, I have to come with you.”

Rehanmir looked at me as if I was out of my mind, the recovery spells helped but I was in no fighting condition, however the crown prince saw the look of desperation in my eyes, and he relented, “fine, but if it comes to a fight, you leave it to us.” I only gestured to indicate I understood him.

Scanning the area, it’s clear, whatever happened between our escape and the veil’s disappearance, was a major release of magical energy, the entire place is barren, and almost nothing remained.

“Are you receiving a signal from Chris’ device?” I softly asked.

“Yes, he should not be far away, and don’t worry, we’re receiving his vitals too, he’s alive.” Rehanmir smiled at me.

I released a deep sigh of relief as confirmation of Chris’ life was announced. If there were any demons to stand between me and Chris, I sure as hell won’t let them get in the way, I have to see Chris now!

We could have used a transport spell to fly towards Chris’ location but we couldn’t risk exposing ourselves in case any demons remained, So we trudged and made our way through the rubble of the once busy town center, and then I heard it, “Here! He’s here!” Said an elf as he pointed towards my boyfriend who seemed to be lying on his back.

I mustered all that remained of my strength and ran towards my boyfriend but Prince Rehanmir beat me to Chris. Rehanmir softly touched Chris’ face and inspected his body as I took a position beside my sleeping prince, “how is he?” I asked.

“He’s sleeping, tired I suppose, but as you can see, he’s not severely injured, well the scans show he only has light cuts and bruises, but the amount of energy he released must have been tremendous, don’t worry, we’ll get him to the realm and have our best see that he’s treated well. Sarad and Zenfar will not let anything bad happen to our precious prince.”

I kissed Chris’ forehead and that’s all it took for me to start bawling, I cried, the emotional and mental strain at the thought of losing him was too much. Chris’ uncle comforted me by giving me a half hug from the side and patting my back, “don’t worry, he’ll be fine, I promise,” he said.

The trip back to Greensburg was swift, and a few hours later, we were in the realm and a team of healers immediately whisked Chris away. William, Chris’ father joined me, the guy was worried sick for his son, I could only imagine how he was feeling.

“Don’t worry, we have the best people looking after him now,” King ZoHal said to us.

--

Chris’ POV

I yawned and stretched as I regained consciousness, I half expected to wake in the middle of Fort Smith, the other half, well, I expected to wake up in Victor’s arms just like when I defeated Yonthar. However, looking around, I notice that I was in the middle of a field, and I apparently slept on a bed of flowers. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers unknown to man, elf, or any other creature, the atmosphere hummed with energy, and the colors of every petal, leaf, actually, everything was as vibrant as they could possibly be, I don’t think there are even words to describe the colors I was seeing. Taking a deep breathe, in the silence, I could even hear the sky singing, it was dusk, or dawn, not sure but the stars were barely visible in the purple segments of the sky, looking into space I could feel even the stars singing to me, the music, barely audible, filled my heart and soul with comfort and peace, ‘am I dead?’ I thought to myself, ‘is this the afterlife?’

“You’re not dead, far from it actually,” announced a soft girl’s voice. I immediately stood and searched for whoever was talking to me.

“Relax, you’re safe,” the girl added.

Not a moment later, four figures appeared in front of me, a man, woman, boy, and girl. Then it hit me, “You were in my dreams, we’ve met before!”

“Yes, we have, but during that time you were not ready, now you are,” replied the woman, her voice was serene and her face beautiful.

“Who are you?” I asked, then I added, “Am I going to forget this again?”

The older man chuckled, “We are emissaries of the flow, and no, you will not forget this time.”

“Emissaries?” I curiously asked.

“Dear child, you are in the Plane of Ascension, welcome!” added the girl.

“The what? Is this the same place we’ve been meeting each other?”

“No, this is different, previously we’ve visited you in your mind, this time, you are in a higher dimension,” replied the young boy.

“So, I’m dead? This is heaven?”

“No, it is not heaven, nor is this the afterlife, it is a place only beings, third ascended and above can visit,” said the woman.

“What are you? And what’s a third ascended?”

“We are emissaries of the flow, and that’s all you need to know,” answered the young boy.

“You have recently reached the third level of ascension, that’s why you are here.”

“Third level? I didn’t know Ascensions had levels,” I remarked in confusion.

The four of them giggled at my state, then the older man clarified, “Ascension has seven levels, you possess three keys to full ascension, that’s why you are a third ascended.”

“No one told me anything about this,” I replied.

“Even the first and second ascended do not know, only the ones that reach third ascension receive a revelation.”

“So, every royal is a first ascended?” I asked, recalling that every member of the royal family had an ascension ceremony.

“No,” the girl tersely replied.

“The ascension ceremony is merely that, a ceremony,” added the young boy.

“What of these keys you mentioned?” I asked.

“There are seven keys to full ascension, you’ve unlocked three,” the older man replied matter of factly.

“And those keys are?” I asked to clarify.

“There is no certain order to reach Ascension, except for the first step, the first is to be touched by the flow, and that’s something you have had since your ceremonial ascension, the second one is to be a wielder of magical vessels, the third, is to be the keeper of songs.”

“So, I’m right, the ascension ceremony is the first ascension,” I said.

“Not all elves receive the touch of the flow during their ascension,” the woman grinned at me.

“What about the magical vessels and being keeper of songs?”

“You just used four vessels, don’t you remember using The Shield of Maktar, The Sword of Tarud, The Ring of Eyaha, and Haldruin’s chains?” asked the boy.

“Usually, one has to make their own vessel, but you instead used that of others, and that’s enough to be a second ascended, though I wouldn’t be surprised if later on you will craft a vessel for yourself,” explained the woman.

“What are your names?” I asked.

“We have none, we are mere creations of the flow to send messages,” said the girl.

“Oh, okay,” I replied slightly confused, then I asked again, “And the keeper of songs?

“You just used the Book of Songs, didn’t you?” Asked the man. Then memories of the tremendous amount of power I wielded in my battle against Azarahel, the book! “Evalta par Shazag,” I muttered, remembering the title of the once unreadable book.

“The Book of Songs, holds tremendous power directly from the flow, use it well,” said the boy.

“What are the other keys of Ascension?” I asked.

“That we cannot answer, it is up to you to discover them,” the man replied.

“However, what we can say is that you are at the cusp of unlocking two other keys,” added the woman.

“You’re the first being to ever reach third ascension is thousands of years, and the first one so close to reaching fifth ascension so soon,” added the older man.

“What about Patri and Gramps? Are they ascended too? They’re pretty powerful.”

“Both are Second Ascended,” The woman replied.

“Both are touched by the flow, and both have magic vessels of their own,” added the young girl.

“Really?” I asked with a hint of excitement and joy at the thought of not being the only one in this ascension thing these people were spouting about, then I furrowed my brows, “what happens when I reach full ascension?”

“You become one of the higher beings,” the boy tersely replied.

“Did I defeat Yonthar because I was first ascended at that point? I remember not being myself at that time, I don’t think even a first ascended should be that powerful.” I remarked, then I added, “I don’t even feel like I was truly myself during the fight with Azarahel either.”

“That’s not for us to answer,” the woman replied.

“What now?” I asked, “Do I see you all again? Will I ever see this place again?”

“We will see each other again if the flow permits, and yes, you will see this place again, as third ascended you have the right to be here,” the older man explained.

Then just like that, everything started to blur, my body tingled, then everything disappeared.

--

Regaining consciousness, I realize that I was lying on a very comfortable bed, the air smelled familiar and then it hit me, I was in the realm! My eyes shot open and I immediately tried to scoot up.

“Chris!” Exclaimed my boyfriend who was sitting on a couch not far away from me.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“You’re in the palace’s medical bay,” he replied as he sat beside me, and placed a soft kiss on my cheek, “You had me worried, I thought I lost you,” he added misty eyed.

I softly touched his face, then smiled at him, “I’m glad to be back, and I’m glad to see you, I love you Victor.” My words were met by my boyfriend’s soft lips as we gently kissed each other.

“So, how long was I asleep?” I asked.

Victor’s expression became serious, then he replied, “two and half days,”

“What?!”

“Yes, Sarad and Zenfar were sure you were alright and just tired, that battle must have taken a lot from you.”

“You can say that again,” I muttered.

I could see from the look on Victor’s face that he wanted to ask more questions, but he instead said, “You must be hungry, I’ll have the servants prepare food for you. I’ll also tell everyone that you’re awake, despite Sarad and Zenfar’s assurances, we couldn’t help but be worried for you,” he smiled at me.

“Food sounds great,” was my only reply.

--

Not even 15 minutes after waking, Dad, Patri, Matra, my uncles, Yal, and Etalos were all over me. Little was mentioned about my clash against Azarahel, instead, most asked about how I felt and if I had any pain and stuff like that, half the time I thought they were asking for their own peace of mind rather than just out of curiosity.

I assured them that I felt fine as I ate my snack, but all of them needed to hear me tell them I felt fine several times for them to believe me.

“My father is on his way, he’s worried sick about you,” Patri said as he touched my right arm in a soothing manner.

“I am fine, really,” I replied.

“We’ll have to wait for Sarad to give you the all clear before you can return to Greensburg,” Patri said.

“But,” I started to protest, however, Patri’s stern look made me think twice about pushing my luck.

“Your grandfather is right son, it’s better if you take is slow for now,” Dad said.

“Fine…” I grumbled as I crossed my arms like a whiny teenager. Gosh, maybe Etalos was right, I do whine!

I was left alone with dad and Victor, as my visitors left a few minutes later to give me some more time to rest.

“How’s everyone else? I mean, how are our troops?” I asked Victor, as I suddenly remembered the joint effort of the three races to stamp out Azarahel’s machinations.

Dad and Victor exchanged worried and grim looks, but both seemed to have come to an understanding, to tell me. It was Victor that first spoke, “Well, we won, you made that possible,” he gave a nervous chuckle, “but we lost quite a few of our own, and we barely rescued that many humans, it appears the demons pretty much snuffed the place out, the one’s we rescued are lucky to be alive, given another day or two I’m sure Azarahel would have drained them as well.”

“How many did we lose?” I asked.

“47, we lost 18 vampires, 16 werewolves, and 13 elves,” Victor somberly replied, he took a deep breathe, then continued, “More than 50 are seriously injured, the rest escaped with at least some minor injuries. Healers were able to contain the demon taint amongst 19 soldiers that were turning into Anami,” Victor sighed.

“What about the humans?”

“Aside from the ones at Phoenix Center, other teams were also able to rescue several hundred more, but in total, we only rescued 1,594 people.”

“That city and its surrounding areas should have had at least 100,000 people,” I muttered.

“Yes, seems like Azarahel did not hold back in harvesting souls.”

“She called herself the soul demon, even the other generals don’t know about it. That’s why she’s so strong and split herself in two. She doesn’t only use human souls to make demons, she feeds off it as well. She could even use them to store energy, when I sent a large scale communication spell to tell the others to leave, Azarahel consumed a stone that had at least 10,000 souls in it. It turned her into an even more powerful beast,” I explained to dad and Victor, both of whom were awestruck by the gravity of the ordeal I went through.

“Is that how she destroyed the entirety of Fort Smith? I mean I wasn’t there but the pictures and videos I’ve seen after the battle, well, the area is completely decimated, the government is working hand in hand with the VHC and WCC to cover up the entire thing but they can only do so much,” dad replied.

“She didn’t destroy the city,” I tersely replied, remembering the destruction I rained upon the area.

“What do you mean, Chris?” Victor asked.

“I did that, I destroyed the place, I rained destruction upon it and snuffed all the life in it.”

“Huh? You what? Sorry, I don’t understand,” Victor replied, puzzled at my statement.

“Azarahel might have had her fair share in destroying the place, and so did the battles, but most of it, was because of me,” I said matter of factly, not sure how my dad and boyfriend will react to such news.

“So, uhm, that’s how you defeated her? You had to destroy the place to destroy her too right?” Dad asked, almost in a stutter to clarify.

“No, I did it to kill the remaining demons, and also to cleanse the place, I know there should be a better way to exorcise the darkness in the area but I’m not powerful enough to do it yet, I did the next best thing, and as to how I beat her? Well, just like Yonthar, I consumed her.”

“Chris…” Dad said worried at the repercussions of me consuming another general.

“Chris, you said so yourself, she was a powerful demon, and you consumed her when she was all powered up?” Victor exclaimed almost in a panic.

“Don’t worry about me, you guys said so yourself, the test came out clean aside from a slightly heavier demon taint in me, I’m still within acceptable margins, right?”

“Yes, you are but Chris, there are 7 more demons remaining, if you consume them all…“ Victor stammered, “I don’t think consuming the entire band of demon generals is a wise thing.”

“Do we have another choice?” I shrugged my shoulders at the prospect of doing such a thing, “I’ll try to find a way around it, don’t worry it’s not as if I have to do it tomorrow right?” I nervously chuckled.

After several more minutes, I told dad and Victor that I was tired and wanted to sleep, they nodded in understanding. Victor stayed on the couch to watch over me while dad returned to the house to tell everyone else that I was better.

--

My nap was more than an hour and half long, and I felt even more refreshed when I woke up. I looked around the room, it seems Victor has gone out to do something. I turned on the TV and settled on a news channel. The female news anchor was on air with three “experts,” they were discussing the war against the demons.

“It’s been more than two days since the Battle of Fort Smith, and we’ve barely had any news about his highness Prince Christopher,” complained a male contributor.

“The palace did say he’s recovering,” added a female guest.

“I really don’t think we should be meddling with the affairs of Earth, I say we leave them all be, we left Earth for a reason. We’re fine as it is, here in the realm,” opined another female guest.

“Setyara, we all know that we can’t leave earth to its own devices, if the demons take over Earth, who is to say they won’t set their eyes on our realm,” the anchor said.

“We lost several of our soldiers in that battle, and we nearly lost the Platinum Prince. How much more blood should our kind shed for a planet we no longer live in,” Setyara said, standing her ground.

“The people are divided, we all want what’s best for the realm, but it seems we can’t decide on how to deal with this threat,” added another male guest.

“To be fair, we thought the demons were long gone, and we haven’t faced this large of a threat since our people’s exodus into the realm, this is certainly a once in a lifetime event,” the anchor said.

I put the TV on mute when I heard the door open, and in came a smiling Patri and Gramps just behind him.

“How are you doing?” King Ethnar asked, he then glanced at what I was watching and let out a slightly annoyed huff. “Don’t let the news get to you,” he added.

“I’m fine, and yeah, I figured I’d just let the people vent for now,” I smiled at them.

“It is good to see, you are alright, goodness Chris, two demon generals, I don’t know how you do it but I am glad you are on our side,” King Ethnar teased.

Then for the next 15 minutes, I talked to them about what transpired in Fort Smith, not every detail but enough for them to know about Azarahel’s skills and the destruction I rained upon the city. Then I decided to broach the topic of a true ascension to Patri and gramps, the emissaries might not have made themselves known to them, but I wasn’t forbidden to discuss this with them.

I gave out a nervous laugh, then asked, “Do both of you have a magic vessel?”

Patri and Gramps exchanged looks, then Patri asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You know, an item of yours that holds a large amount of power, something only you know about?” I asked.

“How did you know about…” Patri softly replied.

Gramps gave me an inquisitive look then asked, “Does this have anything to do with how you defeated the generals?”

“Yes, to some extent,” I replied.

“I don’t know how you knew about it but actually, I do have an item, I have this trident that increases my strength by maybe 20 or 30%,” Gramps said, while Patri gaped at him, seems like even the son knew nothing about it.

“Oh, ZoHal don’t tell me Chris is wrong, I assume you have an item of your own as well.”

Patri took a moment to himself then still slightly surprised, he replied, “Yes, actually I have this circlet which also increases my powers.”

“So, both of you have been holding back on me?” I lightly laughed.

King Ethnar huffed, “I doubt using my trident would change the power asymmetry between the both of us, maybe before your ascension it would have made the difference, but now, without a handicap, I doubt I’ll ever beat you.”

“Same, what dad just said,” King ZoHal meekly replied.

“So, what’s this talk about these items? I swear I never told anyone about it.” King Ethnar said.

“Those items are special, you’re both second ascended beings,” I tersely replied.

“Second what?” Patri asked, confused.

For the next 15 minutes, I discussed at length with Patri and Gramps everything I remembered from my conversation with the emissaries. To say they were shocked at the prospect of there being a seven step ascension process is an understatement.

“I never knew, no records of such a thing exist,” Patri said in disbelief.

“So, they say you’re a third ascended and at the cusp of being a fifth ascended?” King Ethnar asked.

“Yes, but I really don’t know what the two other keys I almost have are.”

“Goodness, I have lived this long and still you find ways to surprise me,” King Ethnar said in an amused tone.

“So, what’s your vessel?” Patri curiously asked.

“Actually, unlike the both of you, I didn’t craft one, but I do have access to some,”

“Some?” Patri asked.

“Yeah,” then as if it were second nature to me, I willed the Bracelet of Maktar and Ring of Eyaha to my left hand and wrist.

“What are those?” King Ethnar asked.

“It’s the Shield of Maktar and Ring of Eyaha, I have two more, the Blade or Sword of Tarud and the Chains of Haldruin.”

“Four?!” Patri gaped at the thought of having 4 magical vessels.

“And each one from the founders of each royal house,” King Ethnar shook his head in fascination, then he paused, then spoke again, “Chains of Haldruin?”

“Yes, the very same chains that retrain my powers,” I replied.

“So, you have full access to your powers now?” Patri asked.

“I don’t think so, the chains pretty much still control them but it does sort of listen to me,” I shrugged.

“When you recover, I think you should visit the tower again, this is a major development Chris, maybe now that you’re aware of this ascension process, the tower will give you access to information about it,” King Ethnar suggested.

“I agree with my father, you should really look into this Chris,” Patri added.

After several more minutes discussing the process of true ascension, the conversation became more lighthearted and it was decided, when Master Healer Sarad gives me the signal, I will return to Greensburg.

--

I spent the night in the medical bay but was given the all clear to return home the following morning. Victor slept in the room as well, he refused to let me sleep alone. Seems like Victor’s still worried about me, but I really can’t blame him.

When morning arrived, Patri, Matra and Uncle Selvenus checked on me, then after breakfast, Victor and I made our way to the portal and just like that I was back in good old Greensburg. Since we already ate in the realm, we only had dessert as everyone else ate dinner at home. Leo was present, so was Henry, both were relieved to see me in good shape.

“Chris, you won’t believe how much better I feel to see you awake. I mean I visited you in the realm too, but now that you’re awake and back to your old self, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief,” Leo said as he hugged me from behind, while I was eating my chocolate sundae. Then Leo kissed me on my cheek, “You know I love you,”

Victor gave us a smile and so did everyone else, then Leo realized what he just did, then clarified, “eww, not like that you pervs, he’s like a brother to me, that’s like incest or something,”

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind,” Victor teased.

I shot Victor my best glare, but he only winked at me. Hmm, maybe Victor was onto something, I mean, Leo’s hot, but so is everybody else in the house, oh no, this is a slippery slope, okay, change your train of thoughts Chris, think numbers, let’s do some math!

I was taken out of my reverie, by Etalos nudging me, “We’re really happy you’re back,” he said.

“So am I, so am I,” I warmly replied as I gave him a hug.

--

“There will be a conference meeting between the alliance in a few hours,” Etalos said to me, he then paused, adding, “But I’m sure they will understand if you’re still unavailable.”

“Don’t be silly Etalos, of course I will join. Who’s attending?”

“Juan, Luigi, August, Olaf, and three proxies by other WCC members, then for the VHC, Reza, Luca, Victor, Victoria, and Jeppe. Prince Rehanmir, Yal, and Kalron will join you to represent the elves. While you were recovering, the alliance has had three meetings, I can give you a copy of what has been previously discussed.”

“Please do Etalos. Seems like I have some reading to do.”

“I can stay here with you as you read, I was in the meetings as well, you can ask me if you have any questions.”

“Oh, I’d appreciate that,”

Then for the next two hours Etalos and I went over the discussions of the alliance. It seems like the efforts to cover up the events in Fort Smith aren’t going as smooth as planned, but I mean, how can they hide such a thing, a hundred thousand people missing, more than a thousand American soldiers dead, and let’s not forget about an entire city being wiped off the map. The government thanked the alliance for rescuing whatever remained of Fort Smith’s civilian population, and it appears the alliance has blamed most of the damage in the place on the demon army, good thing the government accepted that with almost no question.

The alliance has also discussed bolstering the group’s defenses and ability to respond to threats, a joint training facility will be opened in Seattle and Houston here in the United States, another one will be established in London and Rome as well. A possible base in Guangzhou and Bangkok is also up for discussion.

With FRUSI utterly wiped out, the alliance will be directly dealing with US Military for the time being, as well as the Department of Homeland Security. The WCC and VHC have both reached out to their contacts in Canada and the EU and it appears, Canada’s Triton Command and the EU’s Centurion Force, are on board with closer cooperation with the Alliance, however, the news of the return of the elves is still something to be discussed with them. Discussion with China’s Jade Brigade, Japan’s Raijin Corps and Australia’s Paladin Council are in the works as well. I couldn’t help but snigger at the thought that FRUSI sounded so bad compared to its foreign counterparts. If the government’s going to re-establish FRUSI, I seriously hope they change its name.