Stepping out of the room, the 'captain' found himself in a heated argument with another senior officer. They clashed over the captain's claimed origins, which he asserted, but the senior officer doubted. Despite the tension outside, navigating this dispute seemed manageable. Aya, noticing the commotion, approached the officer clad in blue.

"What took you so long?" the officer barked. "You should be back at the north checkpoint by now!"

Aya intervened, "I'm a representative of the 6th joint fleet, acting on orders from Commander Sokol. I need to deliver a message to General Lychmann."

"Why are you here then? This room is off-limits," the lieutenant colonel retorted.

Maintaining her composure, Aya recognized the importance of convincing the lieutenant colonel without raising further suspicion. "My apologies, Lieutenant Colonel," she began, projecting the confidence of a seasoned officer. "There seems to be a misunderstanding. The message for General Lychmann contains sensitive intelligence that necessitates immediate verification from documents within this office."

The lieutenant colonel remained skeptical, his gaze narrowing as he weighed the situation. The distant clamor of conflict outside heightened the tension, underscoring the urgency of their exchange. Aya pressed on, capitalizing on the gravity of the moment. "Respectfully, sir, time is not on our side. The situation outdoors is rapidly deteriorating. My team and I must proceed with our orders to ensure the General receives this vital information. Any delay could jeopardize our position and the safety of this command center."

"Seems like everything's in a rush, huh? What's your name?" The lieutenant colonel remained skeptical.

"I'm Commander Langerhans, Captain Sokol's executive officer," Aya replied firmly. "Colonel, will you permit us to pass, please? If not, I'll have to report you to my commanding officer for obstructing the captain's orders."

"What's the rush?" the colonel persisted. "How about I escort you to General Lychmann's office?"

Aya sensed that the colonel suspected something was amiss. However, dealing with him here could spark a dangerous conflict between the POO, elves, and the coalition. Aya weighed her options quickly: shoot her way out alone or escalate to a bloodier confrontation involving the staff officers. She still had her skeletons, and the others possessed magic. Perhaps Wood could devise an alternative strategy.

Taking action, Aya leaned in and whispered something in the colonel's ear, though she wasn't sure of its contents. Surprisingly, the colonel backed off, prompting Aya to exhale a sigh of relief. As they made their way out, she turned to Wood, curious about her whispered words.

Wood's sly smile hinted at mischief in her eyes. "Let's just say I reminded him of certain... vulnerabilities within his own ranks. A potential scandal involving him that could easily be exposed if he continued to hinder us. Remember, information is power."

"And here I thought you beguile him," Aya chuckled, relieved by their successful exit.

As they exited the building, the tension in the air was palpable, the clamor from the surrounding protest growing louder with each step they took. Aya glanced at Wood, impressed and slightly amused by her quick thinking. "Remind me never to get on your bad side," she quipped, adjusting her pace as they navigated through the chaos.

Wood chuckled softly, the sound barely audible over the din. "Just part of the job. But we're not out of the woods yet.”

“Was that a pun? Ish…” Aya commented.

Wood chuckled softly, barely audible over the clamor. "Just another day on the job. But we're not out of the woods yet."

"Was that a pun?" Aya remarked, a wry grin tugging at her lips.

The enraged crowds outside the town hall were beyond angry—outraged was an understatement. They clamored for the appearance of their "beloved" leader, demanding an end to the oppression by Falael and the occupiers, even pleading for a return to the south.

Stones, rocks, and even pitchforks flew towards the soldiers guarding the barricades. The situation teetered on the edge, poised to erupt into violence. It was a matter of whether the elves breached the barricade first or if the soldiers fired in self-defense; there was no middle ground.

Amidst the chaos, Aya couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as some of the elves shouted that demons were preferable to the Southern Coalition. She knew their allies watching felt a similar satisfaction. But there was no time to dwell—once the elves breached the barricade, her disguise would offer no protection.

"What's the plan, 1-1?" the 'captain' inquired.

Dodging a pitchfork, Wood replied, "Let's wait for things to escalate, then make our move. Be ready to use your rifle and magic; this extraction won't be clean. And if possible, let's avoid casualties among the elves."

"Agreed. Let's not draw attention with the pistol," Aya added.

"Copy that, 1-2," the 'captain' acknowledged.

"Let's blend in and, if a shot is fired, exfiltrate east," Wood directed, moving towards the soldiers grappling with the crowd. She knew escaping without being identified or harming the elves would be challenging, but they had to try.

The group of soldiers struggled to keep the elves out of the town hall and the group behind them already had their rifle aimed at those elves. It was only a matter of time before they open fire. Aya and the ‘captain’ volunteered to hold the elves down, making sure they didn’t breach the line.

“Man, I really wish to go home now,” a soldier quipped behind her.

Then another quipped, “What are we doing in a bumfuck nowhere like this anyway?”

Another officer then protested, “You two, stop complaining and help me push these pointy ears!” He then bashed his rifle against the group of elves in front of him to push them away from the barricade. The elves flinched, but the fought back by pushing the officer back.

“Aye sir.”

Empowered by her strengthening spell, the 'captain' forcefully rammed his shoulder into an elf, causing a line of them to topple to the ground with a single blow. Aya mirrored his action, using her rifle to push back a large group of elves, sending them sprawling. As they struggled to maintain control, she reluctantly resorted to using her rifle to subdue any elves who managed to regain their footing, assisted by the 'captain'. She grimly acknowledged that this was the harsh reality of a false-flag operation.

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the chaos. Aya felt a searing pain shoot through her left torso, causing her to collapse to the ground. Reacting swiftly, the 'captain' dragged her out of harm's way as blood began to stain her clothes crimson.

"OPEN FIRE!" An officer's command rang out, plunging the scene into further turmoil.

Wood rushed to her side, asking, "Are you okay?"

"Probably just a scratch," she replied through gritted teeth, clutching her torso. Despite her uncertainty about the bullet's location, she was relieved to find her ballistic plates intact.

"Let's get out of here," Wood urged, assisting her to her feet.

The 'captain', tapping into an enhanced version of her strengthening spell, wielded her rifle like a battering ram, clearing a path for the group. Meanwhile, Wood supported Aya as she struggled to acclimate to the pain, knowing her resilience firsthand—after all, she had survived a cluster bomb onslaught.

With a powerful swing, the rifle scattered the elves, sending them crashing to the ground. Without hesitation, the group pressed forward, trampling over the fallen elves as they sprinted eastward. Each boot thudded against the faces of their adversaries as they raced through the streets of Saven, where every elf seemed intent on their demise.

The street in which every single elf wanted to kill them.