In a dark room filled with machinery and various forms of tech, several screens were alight with a host of activity. Upon them were lengthy research notes, cycling through the collected data of several realms. The content of the central screen reflected in the silvery blue eyes of the solitary user, who swept back her short, straight black hair out of her face. She was dressed in what appeared to be a military styled lab coat, with a curious circular patch on her left breast pocket, emblazoned with the number ‘VI’.

A prompt appeared on the screen, showing an ‘X’ in the background with a line through it, and ‘Data not found’ in bold letters. The user let out a sigh, sitting back as the automatic door behind her opened. A tall man dressed in a formal white suit sauntered in, the heels of his black dress boots striking the metallic floor one after the other. His face was obscured by a golden mask that covered his head like a second skull. Ebony markings flowed downwards from the eyes towards a smile that appeared simultaneously neutral and mischievous. The user turned to face him and stood immediately at attention, rendering a salute. With a raise of one of his leather-gloved hands, he had her relax.

“Commander. Is something the matter?”

“Not at all. I thought I’d pop in to see how your research was going,” he replied, standing next to her and viewing the screen. “That bad huh?”

“Quite. Despite my best efforts, I can’t seem to get anything conclusive on this reading. Thought it would be much simpler, but I guess you can’t easily make up for a lack of vital info.”

Frowning, a frustrated VI slumped in her chair. The commander leaned against the desk on the adjacent side crossing his arms. “Hmm… so what are you thinking now?”

“That I need to get more data, and there’s one place that’s likely to have exactly what I seek.”

“Need I remind you that coming under *Mindanon’s radar is not what we need right now?" The tone of his voice was cautionary but commanding. "We’re not about to charge in blindly through their barricade. Especially when we have yet to complete our roster.”

“I’m aware. It’s just… Our current method of gathering intel isn’t as efficient as I’d prefer. If this ‘Auriel’ is to be one of us, we’d be better suited by knowing more about her and what secrets she's holding onto. After all, she's clearly abnormal.”

Laughing in jest, the commander gently placed a hand on his subordinate's head. “Well, there’s a much simpler way, VI. All we have to do is ask.”

“If you say so," quipped the pouting VI. "Speaking of, III should be on her way by now, though she hasn’t checked in with me yet. Let’s see…”

She pulled up a digital map on the screen, showing Genesis and the surrounding areas. Across it appeared numerous flickering lights, corresponding to specific areas around and within the village. On the west was a large stream of lights heading towards the village gates.

“Oh. That’s concerning.”

“To say the least. I want you and Number II to prepare for deployment.”

“Both of us? Do you think it’ll get worse?”

He glanced at the screen, then turned back to her. “I’m choosing to err on the side of caution this time, especially with such an unpredictable element. First things first, I want you to make contact with III and determine the current situation. It's time to bring this mission to a close.”

“Yes sir.”

VI saluted, as the commander promptly exited the room. Looking back at the screen, her eyes narrowed on III's location.

~X~

Donning her GSO gear, a battle-ready Auriel arrived in the West District. There, she saw several other GSO and GCU agents rallied around Roland, whose sword was drawn as he kept on guard at the open gates. The brief shower had subsided, yet the dark clouds still concealed the moonlit sky. The flickering torches bathed the surrounding area in tranquil shades of orange and yellow, though even this was unsettling when coupled with the sharp gusts of wind rustling through the treetops. Though distant, the glow of flickering flames was noticeable in the forest, rhythmically breaking through the blackness of night. Auriel walked up and stood beside Roland, ready with her tonfa and shield.

“Ellie? What are you doing here?”

“I came to see what’s going on.”

“I have a vague idea, but I don’t suggest for you to stick around and find out.”

A piercing scream turned their focus to the woodland edge, filled with dancing lights as trees rustle in the middle of an apparent battle that continued throughout. Emerging first were Gareth and Rami holding up Lucan, all three bleeding and covered in wounds, while Lord Mayor Byron crawled on his hands and knees.

He narrowly escaped the monsters’ clutches, hobbling on his stubby legs as two of his Egerian guards were caught in the creatures' grasps. The guards reached out to him in panic, one grabbing hold of one of his legs, but the lord mayor kicked the hand to free himself, and ran, bumping into Auriel before disappearing into the village.

"ROLAND!!!" yelled the staggering Gareth, struggling to help keep Lucan on is feet.

Behind them appeared several Fractured, notable among them an incredibly tall and fierce leader with much more musculature than the others, glowing bright blue eyes, and luminescent deep blue/black cracked skin.

Its sharp claws straightened into swords, pointed towards the injured combatants, and a devious, toothy smile crossed its putrid face. Seeing the imposing creature caused Auriel to start sweating, and a noticeable tremor engulfed her. The Fractured raised an arm to cut down the injured trio, but was stopped by Roland who blocked and deflected its attack, then swiftly tripped it up while two GSO agents ushered the three inside the village.

“Close the gates!” commanded Roland, intending on preventing the legion of blood thirsty monsters from invading. He faced them down with fury in his old eyes.

“B-but you’re still out there!”

“Just do it!”

In Roland’s peripheral, the Fractured leader recovered from the counterattack and kicked him with such force that it sent him flying back inside the gates, while the guards pulled with all their might to quickly close them. A few Fractured slipped through, while the large one dashed at high speed inside just as the gates were closed together. The remainder gathered around their leader and gazed at their potential prey with mouths drooling. Two of the GSO helped Roland to his feet, as the Fractured watched them with keen interest.

~X~

III arrived at the orphanage, leaping from the nearest building and checking her surroundings before knocking repeatedly on the heavy wooden door. She stood back, waiting for a response, before knocking once more, to the annoyance of the closest inhabitant.

Hello??? Are you there Ellie? It’s me!”

The door was opened a crack by Ms. Maia, the raven haired matron of the orphanage. Her sharp silver eyes searched III's masked appearance cautiously, causing her to keep the space small so she could make out the strange visitor without them able to see inside, while the latch was kept connected to prevent intrusion.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you around before.”

“Hello ma’am, the name's III. You could say I’m a ‘friend’ of Ellie’s. Is she here? I need to talk to her.”

“It’s not very friendly to hide your face at this time of night!”

Untrusting of this unknown figure, Maia attempted to close the door, but III grabbed it quickly, pleading.

“Wait wait wait, I promise I’m not suspicious. Which... sounds like exactly what a suspicious person would say... Ma'am, if it’ll help, I know she has kids with her. I think one’s Adam? I gave her some pears for him and the others the other day.”

The elder caretake thought for a moment, before unbolting the door fully. "So you’re the one she was talking about.”

“Haha, I sure am. I think. I don’t mean to rush or anything, but is Ellie around? Things might be getting a bit dangerous and she’ll need my help.”

“You actually missed her, she left not too long ago. Might have something to do with that explosion earlier, I hope she’s safe.”

“Oh boy.” Covering her eyes with one hand and peeking through her fingers, she checked the orb's status. It fluttered for a bit, then began glowing westward, causing a heavy sigh from III. “Of course that’s where she is. Thanks, I’ll go make sure she’s okay."

“Take care now.”

III waved back, and began sprinting, when she heard a sudden beeping. She quickly activated her tetrahedron, and VI appeared before her, floating in the space following the projector.

“Mind if I call you later? I’m kinda busy.”

“At least tell me you’re close to finishing the mission before things get worse.”

“I think so, and how much worse are we talking?”

"Way worse. The village is about to be overrun, starting from the west.”

“Yikes. Sooooo, the west huh? That’s where it’s going down?”

“Yes, that is what I said. Why are you saying it like th-”

She squinted at III in apparent confusion until it finally dawned on her, causing her eyes to widen.

“You’re kidding me! Tala, seriously?!”

“Hey now, do you seriously believe I would lead the target to that kind of danger on purpose? I wouldn’t be able to come up with something as contrived as that.”

“I... won’t disagree with you there.”

“… I’m just gonna take that as a vote of confidence. Anyway, I’ll reach her soon.”

“Be on your guard. There’s something strange about their energy signatures. Number II and I will be on standby in case, well, you don’t handle the situation.”

“Understood.”

VI’s hologram dispersed while III made haste, sprinting as fast as she could.

~X~

The uncertain stare down continued, with Roland and the other fighters anticipating a clash. The few Fractured that made it through stood behind the leader, waiting patiently for a command. Several of the less experienced warriors seemed shaken at the sight of such horrendous beings, but nontheless stood their ground proudly next to the seasoned veterans. One particularly guardsman short of stature stood by Roland, attempting to get the old warrior's attention.

“I didn’t know they got so big! Have you ever fought one like that?”

“I haven’t, but I’ve heard of them. If the Elders’ tales are correct, then this one would be an *Alpha, a fierce leader capable of organizing the lesser ones.” He glared furiously at his foe. "What’s your game?”

Roland scanned the Fractured for the slightest of movements, until he was compelled to look upwards, and noticed a shocking numbetr of crooked claws on the top of the gate. The bodies they belonged to began piling over and joining the rest at the bottom, and the Alpha shrieked a battle cry, signaling the others to begin their attack.

“Get ready!”

The warriors charged toward their enemies, with Roland at the front taking on the Alpha directly. Meanwhile, medical agents tended to the wounded trio of returned combatants in the rooms of a small building. A few of them were focused on Lucan, lying in a bed as his wounds were cleaned and bandaged. In the adjacent room were Rami and Gareth, as well as Auriel, who went with them. She stood in a corner of the room, squeezing her tonfa tightly to stop the trembling, to no avail.

Rami sat on the floor with his back against the wall. Filled with mixed feelings of irritation and fear, he slammed his fist on the wall. “That was a mess!”

“What…what happened out there?” asked Auriel, adressing them both.

“We got ambushed," Gareth replied. "It was all food and drink one second, then upside down the next. And what came after… I swear I’ve never seen them act so strangely.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He means, they were organized. When their leader came out, the Egerians went trigger happy with their elemental magic,” he informed her, pointing to his burn. “Did more harm than good. They had us all surrounded, but the three of us managed to break their encirclement."

Gareth saw Auriel’s uneasiness and limped towards her, offering his sheathed blade. Surprised, she looked at him in reluctance, hesitating to take it.

“Roland won’t be the least bit happy about this, but go ahead, do what you gotta do.”

She took the blade with shaking hands, almost dropping it. “Uhm. I’m not sure I can.”

“Are you kidding? After taking out that Cannibal guy the other day, this should be a cinch.”

A nervous laugh escaped Auriel as she gripped the handle of the blade. “It’s not even close to the same. Did you see them? I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

“I got a pretty up close and personal look, so yes." Gareth put a caring hand gently on her shoulder. "Ellie, none of us were ready for this, but right now, they need as much help as they can get. I know it’s been tough, but you’re leaps and bounds better than when you started.”

Squeezing the handle again, she soon attached the sword to her waist, unsheathing it slightly to gaze at the sheen of the cold steel, then returned it to its scabbard, closing her eyes momentarily and taking a few deep breaths to calm the tremor in her hands.

“Besides, you’re better out there than us right now, we’re an amateur and a literal walking skeleton, remember?” He chuckled, but soon held his abdominal wounds. “Haha, it hurts to laugh.”

“I’m here too, you know,” stated a frowning Rami.

“Oh hush, you’re wounded all over. What were you planning to do, bleed on ‘em?”

The back and forth caused Auriel to smile a bit, though in entertainment. “I think he’s had enough burns for one day.”

“Go on, we’ll be fine. You got this.”

The youthful warrior placed her trusty helmet on her head, and with a nod to Gareth, she was on her way. She exited the tiny building as she took her first steps towards a changed battlefield.

~X~

Walking slowly, the cautious combatant took a few deep breaths to prepare for an encounter. A nearby Fractured turned its attention to her almost immediately and began crawling in her direction, surprising her with its sudden movements. Stricken with fear, she shakily stepped back, and when it pounced on her wildly, her grip loosened on the handle of her sword. This particularly ferocious Fractured grabbed onto her helmet with its long bony finger-like claws, pulling until it yanked it off her head, but not before causing a few cuts to her face.

Auriel rolled towards her sword and looked up when the beast pounced again like a wild dog, ravenous and unrestrained. She held it back by the neck, struggling to prevent it from bearing down on her as it bit at her face. Its sharp claws punctured her clothing in spots unprotected by the armor. The loud snarls and animalistic noises bombarded her eardrums like a discordant tune. A familiar scene flashed through her mind briefly, and her heart sank.

She was in agony.

Her body pumping with adrenaline, she had a sudden moment of clarity, where time seemed to have slowed immensely. She noticed her sword near her, and deciding to take the risk, reached for it. Giving everything she had, she forcefully thrust the blade in the Fractured's mouth and through its skull, killing it.

She rose as quickly as she could, but before she could take a rest, she saw two more Fractured coming towards her area. She began to run, turning the nearest corner and hiding behind a nearby statue of two warriors, holding pressure and tending to her wounds while peering out. When she tried holding up her sword, it nearly fell from her hand. She covered her ears as the rapid, bounding pulse of her heartbeat resounded loudly within them, faster than her breathing. While she hyperventilated, another brief moment of clarity led her to thoughts of her time with the kids.

The memory of when she put them to sleep eased her trembling, and she took deep breaths rhythmically to soothe herself, smiling as she imagined their faces. Her heartbeat slowed, and she looked up at the night sky. With only slivers of the storm clouds remaining, she could make out the stars. She smiled again.

“You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine. Just treat them like any other opponent.” She smacked both her cheeks and stretched them as she repeated an utterance of confidence in a hushed voice. “You. Can. Do. This. You. Can. Do. This.”

As if gaining a second wind, her eyes filled with a rising fighting spirit, and she stepped out from her hiding spot, sword drawn and shield at the ready for the Fractured running towards her. Planting her feet, she blocked and parried the claws of the first, throwing it off balance just enough for her to spin and behead it. The other two attacked from both sides, prompting her to return the sword to its scabbard.

As their claws reached deadly proximity, she immediately lowered her stance and swiftly drew the blade once more, making a wide slice that cut them both in half. The fallen Fractured shattered, leaving behind lingering clouds of red mist with glowing light blue orbs floating just above. Auriel backed against a wall, taking a moment to catch her breath.

Continuing down the next alleyway, she came across a nearby warrior being overwhelmed by a Fractured, pinned to the ground. Going to his immediate aid, she wasted no time shield-bashing the creature away. It quickly recovered as she pointed at it with her sword to keep track, while ensuring the warrior was okay. It screeched loudly and attacked with claws swinging, but she endured it with her shield, allowing it to close in, then swiped one of its legs and cut it down. A swift plunge of the blade dispersed the Fractured, and turning to the warrior, Auriel helped him to his feet.

“Ellie? Didn’t know you were fighting. I owe you one.”

“You’re welcome. You okay?”

“Ah, you know, decent," he responded, though he visibly winced in pain. "How are you holding up?”

“I'm managing. Got to go help Sir Roland and the rest though. Need me to get you to the medical post? It's not too far from here.”

“I’ll be fine.” He turned to leave, but stopped. "Hey Ellie?” he called out.

“Yeah?”

“Give ‘em hell," he emitted proudly with a thumbs up.

With a smile and returned thumbs up, she replied, “You got it.”

~End of Chapter~

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~Notes~

*Mindanon: One of the leading realms of Panregalia, and home to a race of technology-oriented humanoids. Rose into prominence following the initial suppression of the Fractured.

*Alpha: A more powerful Fractured type that typically serves as a leader. When compared to the typical Fractured, it is more intelligent and much more dangerous.