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*beeeeeeeeep*

"Recording log..."

"Week 1"
"Tuesday"
"1435 hrs."
"Fruchiel's Cathedral"
"Gargan Forest"

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After receiving the urgent report from HOTEL 02, Harvey uses the radio on his vest to quickly order HOTEL Group to prepare and stand by at the back of the Cathedral where the Chinook and the Cobra are parked. At the same time, he also orders the pilots from both helicopters to rev up the rotors in case of a fast engagement.  HOTEL 01 and both pilots of the two helicopters respond on the line as soon as they receive the orders. While resting after their weapons training, Isabella, Glenn, and Herman approach Harvey.

"What's going on, Sir Harvey?" Glenn asked. But Harvey looks at them while thinking of something. After a few seconds, he grins.

"Haha. It looks like you three will have an early duty. Isn't that right, HOTEL Two?" Harvey asked the operator. HOTEL 02 also looks at the three and chuckles.

"Hehe. Indeed, sir. Well then, I will go back to regroup with the other HOTELS." HOTEL 02 saluted Harvey and leaves the area to join his group. The trio meanwhile look at each other in curiosity, when they see the pilots of the two helicopters running and scrambling into their respective cockpits. Seconds later, their rotors gradually spin into an idle mode ready to lift off. Harvey screams at the three to follow him inside the Cathedral. The three oblige and follow him as the rotor thumps from both helicopters roar in the background together with the operators from the HOTEL Group standing by near the Chinook for further instructions.

Inside the Cathedral, Harvey orders again on his radio the units from the Able Company and Baker Company to increase and tighten their perimeter security outside and inside of the building, with two Baker Units will scout the area where they detect the massive movement in the forest. The units inside follow and go into their defensive positions near windows and doors. Noticing all the commotion and the loud helicopter noises outside, the peasants in the living room that were having their lunch of roasted deer meat, ask Fruchiel about what was going on. Fruchiel also didn't know and wondered also. When Harvey and the three make their appearance in the living room, Fruchiel asks Harvey.

"He-Hey Harvey! What is with the noises outside?" she asked. The peasants and the trio look at Harvey with thought, when Harvey sighs and announces the situation with a serious face.

"Although we still haven't confirmed it yet, there's a possible chance that the bandits might be coming here."

The peasants and the trio gasp in shock. 

"TH-THE BANDITS?! AGAIN?"

"TSK! HOW DARE THEY!" as they shout in extreme anger, remembering the events that happened to them from Arksonville. Harvey asks them to calm down as it is not yet confirmed. They will have to wait for the scout reports to identify the massive movement detected by the motion sensors. When suddenly, faint explosions in seconds intervals echo in the far distance. Harvey and the others look outside the window to the area where the faint explosions might came from.

"Wha-what was that?" an old female peasant wondered. A tap from behind interrupts Harvey. Harvey looks behind and sees Herman with a serious face. 

"Sir Harvey. They are bandits. I'm sure of that..." Herman said in a serious tone. Isabella also approaches Harvey and also says the same thing.

"Yes, Sir Harvey." she said.

"Hm. How are you guys so sure about that?" Harvey asked the two.

"Sir. The pathway that leads to our village is just some distance from here. They might be just going to pass by here to go back on Arksonville." Herman added as being one of the guards that protected their village. Harvey looks at Glenn and he also nods with determination and agreement to the other two. Thinking that the bandits might stumble and compromise the Cathedral and the surviving peasants, Harvey takes no chances and orders Fruchiel and some Able Units to stay with the peasants, while the three go to the basement armory with Harvey.

Below in the basement, the four go inside the armory as Harvey turns on the ceiling lights that are connected to a big battery in the corner of the room. The trio looks around and is amazed by the amount of weaponry, green ammo crates, and gear cabinets, inside the room.

"Wo-Wow! Look at all of these!" Glenn complimented with awe. They wait near the door as Harvey starts to gather clothes and gear for the three. They anxiously wait for him to finish laying the clothes and gear on a table at the center. He grabs three green hoodies and cargo pants, caps, and three pistol mag belts and pouches.  Harvey then instructs the three to wear the clothes and gear. The three oblige as Harvey helps them wear their respective gear. 

Finished wearing all of their clothes and gear, Harvey picks three handheld radios with attached earpieces. He attached the radios to their belts and instructs them on how to use them. After a short explanation later, Harvey chooses his gear the same as the HOTELS while the three watch in awkward silence. Minutes later, Harvey is also done choosing his gear and weapons. He instructs the three to follow him out to the backyard where the helicopters and the HOTELS were. When suddenly, Harvey receives a transmission from the radio.

"Sir. The recon team has just confirmed the movements are indeed bandits. They are approximately twenty foot-mobiles. Some are unidentified creatures."

With this report, Harvey quickly announces in all frequency of a new order as he, the trio, and HOTELS go inside the Chinook. 

"Rog'. All units in this frequency, be advised!: AH-1 Cobra, callsign "REAPER 1" , CAS effective on the reported contact! Task Force HOTELS, additional four operatives, callsigns FOXTROT Actual, Rookie 1, 2, and 3, on dispatch transport HAWKSEND 1. We're going in boys!" Harvey, as he and the HOTEL Operators take their positions inside the Chinook. The trio was at first very nervous and frightened about going inside the helicopter. 

"COME ON! DON'T WORRY GUYS! HOP IN!" Harvey shouted at the three. The pressure got them and finally make their way inside the Chinook. They take their seats near the open ramp, while Harvey takes his position standing up with one of the Chinook's Crew Chiefs at the open ramp.

"This is REAPER 1. Taking off to Grid 5. Adjusting max elevation, fifteen-hundred AGL." the pilot of the Cobra said on the frequency. The Cobra gradually lifts up on the ground and makes its way toward the area of contact. The Chinook soon follows after five minutes and tails behind the Cobra. Inside the Chinook, Isabella, Glenn, and Herman, are in extreme awe as they feel the vehicle flying up in the air. They look outside the open ramp and windows and see the wide forest down below.

"WOW! WE ARE FLYING!" Isabella shouted as she looks out by the ramp. Glenn meanwhile is holding very tightly onto a handguard by his seat, and Herman keeps observing the forest scenery by the window with awe. 

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Meanwhile, on the bandit's formation...

The armed bandits are now making their way towards Arksonville to meet up with their fellow bandits that raided the said village. They planned to make it one of their bases and fortify the area for their new base to conduct future raids and crimes near the surrounding areas. Their boss, the Jackal, is also one of them to lead the commemoration of the new bandit camp. He leads his group of bandits, with trailers and creatures of six-legged oxen and a handful of slaves of different races. As they make their way towards the village, they constantly beat up the slaves when they are going slow and not following them. The slaves are positioned at the very front to detect any danger ahead, while Jackal and the rest are trailing behind them.

"Hehe. Whaddya think, boss? Is it possible that we can now make raids inside Yormford City? I am itching to rape helpless women in there!" a bandit asked Jackal. 

"Huh? Hold your fucking cock! We still got to make sure that we have enough men and forces to strengthen our bases, especially since the kingdom is on a very high alert right now. I'm sure that fucking knight captain has his men hold up in that fucking town!" Jackal complained.

"I-I see. Good thing that Klovo and his men managed to capture the village for us. We have now a new base for our raids! It's so tiring to bring all the spoils of raids to our main base. Having a near base is very convenient. " the bandit replied.

"Yeah yeah. How many minutes left before we are near the Cathedral landmark?" Jackal asked another bandit that is holding the map.

"About one-hour left, boss! After we arrived at the abandoned Cathedral, we will have to turn northwest of that area." the bandit replied as he looks at his map of the forest. The bandits continue their way when suddenly, faint thumps echoed in the distance. The slaves stop in their tracks and Jackal orders his men to halt as they keenly observe the faint thumps. He then orders the slaves to go first to see what the noises are all about. Both afraid for their lives and the unknown noise, the slaves hesitantly follow his orders and slowly make their way inside deep into the woods.

"Hey, boss. What if they run off and escape?" a bandit whispered to Jackal. The Jackal chuckles and raises his right hand with rings on each finger. 

"Hehe don't worry about that! With my Disobedient's-Demise, I can instantly make them paralyzed!" he said as one of his rings starts to glow a purple light. Inside the woods, one slave indeed tried to escape and goes in another direction. But in the very instant she takes her first step to run, she became paralyzed. The other slaves look at her in extreme shock and horror. So they continue walking towards the unknown noise nervously. 

...

Minutes have passed, and the thumps are becoming louder and louder. Jackal and the bandits wait in anxiety as the slaves still haven't arrived yet.

"Tsk! What the fuck happened to those fucking shits?! I can't give them another order without seeing them directly! Argh fuck!" Jackal complained as he looks at his purple-glowing ring. With his Disobedient's-Demise spell, he must have direct contact with the subject in order to cast the spell. But his order to: "Determine the origin of the noise and report to him", was his only order to the slaves. The slaves still don't know the cause of the noises and are yet to report to him. So the spell is still active by the evidence of his ring that is glowing purple light. Seconds later the now four slaves appear in the woods where they came from. Jackal notices that one is missing and grinned that one slave is now paralyzed by trying to deny his orders and escape.

"There you are! Looks like one dared to escape huh? Hahaha! Now, tell me what's the cause of that fucking noise?" Jackal ordered with a menacing tone. One of the slaves stuttery replies to him.

"I-I-I-I-IT'S A C-C-C-COBRA, MASTER!"

"Huh? A Cobra?" Jackal asked. At that exact moment, strong winds begin to sway trees and bushes across their area as the thumping roars are now their loudest near them. The bandits are surprised and covered their ears.

"ARRGH! WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?" the bandits screamed. 

"THERE'S SOMETHING FLYING ABOVE!" a bandit shouted as he points up. It revealed the Cobra moving above them with agility. 

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!" the bandits and Jackal continued to look at the Cobra above them. But while they are distracted by the new vehicle they are seeing, a hail of gunfire suddenly fires upon them coming from inside the woods. The bandits are caught by surprise and are killed instantly. They became disoriented and quickly find cover behind trees and rocks. But the Cobra also follows and begins firing collateral machine-gun fire from its M134 Minigun and 70mm Rockets. The area is filled with screams of horror and pain from the helpless bandits. Some that are still alive tried to cast their spells, but the bullets and rockets coming from both the Cobra and the woods quickly in an instant. Jackal survived the ambush and activated all rings on his hands. His rings begin to glow in different colors as his spells are cast on him.

"ARGH! FUCK! FUCK! THEY LEAVE ME NO CHOICE! ARRRGGHHHH!" one by one, his strength, endurance, agility, defense, and mana, increased greatly. He exits out of his cover and starts attacking the Cobra above.

"RAY-FLAME!" he cast. A big ray of flame quickly appears out of his both hands pointing at the Cobra. But due to the Cobra's quick side movements, the ray misses. Jackal tries again, but also to no avail. So he tries another spell as he temporarily hides behind a tree taking cover.

"TSK! CLAWS-OF-REFRAIN!". A pair of long, sharp-silver claws appear on both of his hands. Combined with his high agility, he quickly runs and jumps to the Cobra above him. 

"ARRGH! TAKE THIS, FUCKER!". But as soon as he starts to claw the Cobra near him, the Cobra suddenly lifts up instantly. His momentum gradually lessens and he didn't reach the Cobra. He falls down angrily and is pissed. Because of this, he now changes his attention to the unknown attackers in the woods. 

...

Meanwhile inside the Cobra...

The pilots are flying in circles while attacking the bandits below them. When suddenly, a big ray of flame nearly hits them.

"WHOA! THIS IS BAD! EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" the co-pilot screamed to the pilot.

"ROGER! ASCENDING TO THIRTY-HUNDRED!" the pilot quickly moved his stick to ascend. At the same time, a man with claws suddenly jumped and is now in front of them. 

"FUCK!" as the pilot strengthen his grip on his stick backward to ascend. The man then slows down and falls to the ground. The pilots breathe a sigh of relief as they adjust their position to continue with the engagement.

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Back in the ground...

Jackal is now going inside the woods to engage the unknown attackers. He easily evades the gunfire with his extreme agility. Like in a slow-motion timeframe effect inside the woods, he begins seeing his slaves behind multiple people in strange green outfits and weapons. He orders his slaves through his mind to attack the unknown people. But out of nowhere, his purple ring malfunctioned and continuous electrical strings came from the ring. It then electrocuted the rest of his rings on both of his hands, rendering all of his enchantments and spell casts to a halt. Jackal shockingly shouted as he feels the time going back to normal and his movements slowing down.

"WHA-WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SPELLS?!" he screamed. The unknown people quickly notice him with shock and point their weapons at him as he appeared out of nowhere in a second. 

"DON'T MOVE!" one of the unknown people shouted while pointing his rifle at Jackal. Jackal crouches down and tries to activate all of his rings again but to no avail.

"SHIT! SHIT!" he shouted to himself as he smacks the rings on his hands to the point his hands begin to swell and bleed. As he continues to complain, he suddenly hears footsteps coming near him. He looks up and sees a ponytailed woman with a cold stare and pistol in hand.

"It's you....the Jackal...." the woman said in a monotone voice as she approaches him. Jackal falls back to the ground, frightened by her cold stare towards him.

"DO-DON'T COME HERE! DON'T COME HERE!" as he kept on backing off. The woman finally reaches him and points the tip of her pistol barrel at Jackal's forehead. Jackal clenches his teeth while looking at her pistol. Then, in her last words:

"..This is for my fallen hunters. Bastard.."

"BANG!*

Jackal's eyes rolled out as he falls to the ground, dead. The other men with her continue engaging the remaining bandits with the echoes of rockets and minigun fire coming from the Cobra above, resonating in the background.

...

More minutes later, the area is now clear of bandits. The area is filled with blood and scattered body parts from the bandits. With Jackal also now dead, two men approach the woman, looking at the corpse.

"So, this is Jackal, huh?" Herman angrily stared at the corpse. 

"...Yes." Isabella replied with a serious tone. Glenn approaches the corpse and begins kicking it.

"Argh. Fuck you! I hope you rot in fucking hell!" Glenn shouted as he continuously kicks the dead Jackal. Herman holds off Glenn to stop kicking it.

"Hey. Calm down. There's no value in kicking off garbage waste." Herman said with humor. Behind them, Harvey comes back from his engagement on the left side and checks on the three.

"Hey, you three. Are you guys alright?" Harvey then also notices the corpse in front of the three.

"Si-Sir Harvey. Yes sir. We are alright." Isabella looked back at him. Harvey approaches the dead Jackal and notices the rings on his both hands. The rings aren't glowing anymore and he inspects them one by one.

"Rings..Hm. Better take these for investigation." Harvey said as he starts taking off the rings on the corpse.

"Investigation?" Glenn asked Harvey. Harvey stands up and puts the rings in his belt pouch.

"Yes. Even though in a short time, I saw his rings glow before he started engaging. These rings might be where his magic spells are coming from.". He then looks back at the corpse and asks the three.

"Did you guys dead-check this fucker?"

"Uhm. I've already shot him once in the head, Sir Harvey." Isabella replied. But Harvey shakes his head in denial and grabs his pistol. He aims his M1911 at the corpse's head and shoots three times.

*BANG!**BANG!**BANG!*

"Don't get too confident. Always make sure to shoot your targets multiple times." Harvey said as he holsters his pistol.

"Now come on! Let's go! We still have job to do!" Harvey instructed the three. Glenn and Herman follow Harvey to the area of engagement, leaving Isabella looking at Jackal's corpse. As she continues to stare at the corpse, tears begin to fall out of her eyes. She reminisced about the time of being a hunter before. In her village, there are a group of hunters that are responsible for hunting games for meat. gathering herbs and plants, and for external security. She was also a part of that group and one day was going on with their routine hunt for the day. When they got ambushed and captured by Jackal and his bandits. Because they didn't have any magic attributes, they are helpless against Jackal. In their ordeal, Isabella is the only one who survived and managed to escape. She watched her fellow hunters get killed and raped by Jackal and his fellow bandits. She clenches her teeth and hands as she remembers all of this with tears in her eyes. 

"...It's alright..." a mysterious faint voice emanated behind her. Isabella quickly looks back as she notices the familiar voice. Her eyes widened with shock and surprise as she sees her fellow hunters smiling at her. The spirits of her fellow hunters suddenly came back and hugs her. Feeling the warmth of their embrace, Isabella can't help but cry.

"...keep on living, for us..." as one of the spirits embraced Isabella. 

"I-I will..*sniffs*" Isabella replied while wiping her tears. The spirits then gradually fade away as Isabella looks up to the sky, feeling uplifted. Hiding behind a tree near her, a tall female angel was observing her with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmhm. May thee keep the better work, Harvey..." as the unknown angel vanishes with light fading away up above.

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Soul Energy :

[ Level 1 ] (...counting souls)

 

Soul Count :

[ ...counting ]

 

Spawn Count:

[ 110 ]

= 80 Infantry Units

= 30 Special Forces

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UPCOMING NEXT CHAPTER:

Chapter 10 - Forward Assist